* DESIGN OF
THE YEAR 2009

X-Halo Breath Thermometer

DISCIPLINE
Product & Industrial Design

The X-halo is a revolutionary breath thermometer that is a significant new weapon in the fight against asthma. In a number of recent medical studies, specialists have concluded that an asthmatic’s exhaled breath temperature is related to the degree of airway inflammation. Many asthmatics around the world are not diagnosed until the symptoms are so severe that normal daily life is affected.

In a bid to improve the management of asthma and other respiratory diseases, Delmedica Investments (Singapore) Pte Ltd introduced the X-halo Breath Thermometer, a device that easily and accurately measures the temperature of a patient’s exhaled breath in a non-invasive and user-friendly manner. This gives doctors, carers and patients a new way to manage asthma before the onset of acute symptoms and, potentially, to save lives. Already used by a number of internationally respected researchers and clinicians, it offers a breakthrough in the treatment of lung diseases.

The X-halo is the result of numerous design iterations in a rigorous process that included testing and incremental improvements. The research and design for X-halo were carried out by Philips Design Singapore using its High Design methodology, which focuses on research and a deep understanding of people’s needs as the starting point for the design process. This methodology also provides the framework for taking these insights and translating them into imaginative yet feasible solutions.

In particular, the design process focused on three criteria that drive all Philips activities. To begin, the X-halo was designed specifically with two primary users in mind, namely the patient who needs to measure exhaled breath temperature, as well as the physician who needs to review the results. According to the Philips Design team, “We wanted to make using the X-halo intriguing and almost fun for the patient while diagnostically easy to set up and retrieve information for the doctor. This was achieved with the illumining breath nozzle and the screen/control orientation designed around the doctor.”

Next, creating a user-friendly experience was a key consideration. As a multidisciplinary design team, Philips Design focused on the details of the user experience from start to finish. The design team included product, interaction and communication designers to manage a seamless and easy-to-use experience in terms of the product packaging, user information, product set-up and product solution.

Most of all, the team aimed to deliver the benefits of innovation. The concept for the X-halo is based on the newly discovered connection between breath temperature and chronic respiratory conditions presented in an accessible format to both patients and doctors. Says Philips Design,

“We imagine that the user will be delighted with the freedom and empowerment of being able to predict an asthma attack.”

The main challenge of the design process lay in finding a way to accurately measure exhaled breath temperature with a device that could be comfortably used by patients, including children. The device needed clinical semantics to inspire confidence in doctors, but also some emotional and approachable qualities to appeal to children and adults alike.

The result was the X-halo, a handheld device that is reusable, with the ability to record 240 patient results before having to download the data. The device employs LED lighting and audible sounds to indicate when to start and finish blowing, making the device intuitive and easy to use while empowering doctors and patients to predict an asthma attack. The most outstanding feature of the product is the glowing breath nozzle that indicates when to use the device.

Production of the device involved collaboration between the client and engineering and manufacturing partners to deliver 2,000 beta prototypes for global launch and testing. Previous designs were also shown at global asthma conferences, providing opportunities for market testing and input.

Going forward, the X-halo holds great promise for predicting the onset of other conditions besides asthma. Asthma is the first respiratory condition that has been proven to be predictable using this innovation, but the X-halo units currently being tested will also allow doctors to assess other respiratory conditions such as SARS or H1N1.

Winning the President’s Design Award for the X-halo is a validation of the work of the Philips Design team. According to Stefano Marzano, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Director of Philips Design, “Creating value for people is at the core of Philips Design’s vision and I am proud that the work we have done to improve people’s quality of life in all types of societies has been recognised with this Award.”

DESIGNERS
Philips Design
Michael Paterson
Darrell Chung
Rod White
Amy Wan
Nic Ng
Cecilia Go
Daphne Flynn

CLIENT OWNER
Jas Gill
Mourad Mankarios Delmedica Investments (Singapore) Pte Ltd

MANUFACTURER
S C Chong
Mdesign Solutions Pte Ltd

ENGINEER
S C Chong
Mdesign Solutions Pte Ltd

Front View

Back View

Perspective View (no mouthpiece)

Three-quarter view with mouthpiece and green light

Hand-held device with mouthpiece and light

Product in Use

‘‘Create a harmonious relationship between people, objects, and the natural and manmade environments.’’

Insights from the Recipient

What was your main objective for the design?

Michael Paterson: A designer's job is to create products with empathy for the user and the context of use. You have to be aware of the environmental repercussions of your design decisions. In this context, the X-Halo had to be functional in both clinical and consumer settings. Asthma primarily affects children, so the device also needed to be easy for a child to use while existing comfortably in a hospital or clinic as a professional diagnostic tool. Our objective was to create a simple, holistic deign whereby users in both situations were well considered, but without prioritizing one over the other.

Citation

‘‘Create a harmonious relationship between people, objects, and the natural and manmade environments.’’

Jury Citation

X-halo, a revolutionary new tool that literally breathes new life into the fight against asthma, is a reusable hand- held device for asthmatics to predict if an attack is imminent.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes over 250,000 deaths a year because of a lack of proper treatment or simply because treatment is just not available. The World Health Organisation ranks asthma twenty-second among chronic diseases. Asthmatics lose on average 15.3 years of normal life. Asthma afflicts 300 million people worldwide, and is on the rise due to changes in modern and urban lifestyle. An additional 100 million asthmatics are expected to be diagnosed by 2025.

Many asthmatics around the world are not diagnosed until the symptoms are severe enough to prevent normal daily life, in part due to the limited number of tests for early screening.

The X-halo breath thermometer promises to change that. X-halo is the product of breakthrough research that has found that airway inflammation in asthma is directly linked to breath temperature, which rises by up to 1.2 degrees Celsius before an attack. The X-halo thermometer accurately measures this rise in a non-invasive and user-friendly way, giving doctors, care-givers and patients a new way to manage the condition before the onset of acute symptoms.

International asthma specialists and scientists testing X-halo report excellent results.

The Jury cites X-halo’s aesthetic character and emotional appeal appropriate for a patient-used, hand-held device. The form is elegantly straightforward, non-threatening and sturdy, combining confidence-building technical authority with just enough playfulness (many asthma patients are young children.) The totality is well branded and packaged. This combination of qualities is unusual for firstgeneration medical equipment.

The research and design for X-halo were carried out by Philips Design Singapore. The Jury was impressed by the superior quality of technical innovation based on solid and substantial front-end design research. We also cite the elegant user interface, well-conceived interaction design based on human factors and excellent use of multi modal cues to inform the user experience. Usage is made intuitive by colour-shifting LED lighting combined with audible sounds to indicate when to start and finish blowing.

X-halo’s breakthrough technology, based on the link between exhaled breath temperature and early signs of viral infection before they develop, has the potential for further development in measuring other vital signs. Thus X-halo is a technology platform that has wide future applications to other diseases beyond asthma.

X-halo belongs to the major emerging shift in the healthcare sector from medical repair toward a more anticipatory and preventive approach to health and well-being. The future of healthcare is going to demand more self-monitoring and self-awareness. Thus X-halo belongs to a new category of medical equipment enabling monitoring and care to move from the doctor’s office and lab into consumer markets.

X-halo has also received a 2009 iF (International Forum Design Hannover) award for product design.

VIEW JURORS

Nominator Citation

MS DAPHNE FLYNN
DIRECTOR
PHILIPS DESIGN (SINGAPORE BRANCH)

X-halo is a device that can predict the onset of asthma well before any apparent symptoms. The challenge was to find a way of accurately measuring exhaled breath temperature with a device that can be comfortably used by patients (including children). Philips Design delivered a turnkey project to design and also manufacture 2,000 units that are now being used by doctors and patients globally.

As children feature in the range of target users, Philips Design recognised that using X-halo needed to be intuitive for patients. With this in mind, LED lighting is used to illuminate the blowpipe and, together with audible sounds, this indicates when to start and finish blowing. Research has shown the use of light in this manner is of interest to children and adults alike. Size was also a consideration and the proportions were considered to best allow for a child’s grip. The design solution is a hand-held, reusable devise – recording 240 patient results before having to download the data.

Consideration was given to the end-to-end experience. The pack communicates the benefits as well as key information important to medical practitioners, including concise instructions for ease of setup of supporting software. Designed with consideration to patients and doctors alike, X-halo is easy to experience and provides the ability to predict asthma attacks, thereby not only saving but also empowering people’s lives though the peace of mind X-halo provides.

Asthma is the first respiratory disease proven to be able to be predicted using exhaled breath temperature. Studies are underway for a range of other respiratory diseases such as SARS.

X-halo is the first respiratory device by the Singapore based company, Delmedica Investments.