motion portable oxygen supply by Tom Woods from uk

The Problem:
This year, our team experienced first hand the impact of respiratory disease and the challenges it creates physically, socially and emotionally.
The scale of this problem is vast:
Respiratory disease is the UK's biggest killer (causing 1 in 4 UK deaths) and a huge global problem. It is often treatable but rarely curable.
It's the fastest growing area of care, set to grow by 28% globally between 2010 and 2020 as we encounter the ever more complex problems faced by ageing populations.
It costs the NHS more than any other illness.

And the implications for existing treatment methods are profound:
Though mobile treatment is possible with portable oxygen equipment in less severe cases, the equipment is restrictive, intrusive and cumbersome.
Patients struggle with a loss of mobility, independence and social identity.
Around 50% of respiratory patients are being treated for depression.
Patients with symptoms of depression spend TWICE as much time in hospital as symptom-free patients.

Our Solution:
With the link between social interaction and long-term prognosis so profound, we saw an opportunity to improve mobility and address the social and emotional aspects of this illness. We aimed to create an elegant, discreet and lightweight solution that would reduce the physical burden and remove the social barriers created by visible signs of long term illness.

Existing portable solutions provide just under 2 hours of oxygen at a rate of 2 litres per minute. When full, cylinders weigh 5lbs, and require a large backpack to transport them. Inspired by the use of disposable CO2 cylinders used for emergency bike tyre repair, we saw an opportunity to reduce the surplus size and weight carried around by users through a series of portable and reusable five inch cylinders, secured with a screw-in perforation and delivering just under 30 minutes of oxygen each. The cylinder screws into an elegant pressure gauge - styled to evoke a classic timepiece - which clips easily to any garment.
We were also keen to improve the comfort of the nasal cannula, which often creates sores above the ears and irritates the nostrils, while simultaneously replacing its medical aesthetic with an ergonomic design.

‘Not being able to move freely comes as a shock; not being able to catch your breath even more so.
Using the equipment alters how you interact with others and how (you imagine) they perceive you....
Everything you took for granted before is different.’
- Richard Felton, 65, COPD patient

Our design provides a short-term alternative for social occasions that allows patients to dismiss their illness and bring their personal identity back to the fore.