Zygology Utilise Southco Products To Assist In The Creation Of A Hospital Friendly iPad Case

For professionals and patients, iPads are becoming an integral part of hospital life.

Patient information input into iPads instead of charts saves time and allows doctors to review clinical symptoms remotely, reducing decision-making process. Jackie Whittle, Head of Nursing for Professional Practice, Clinical Standards & Safety at the Lead Teaching Hospitals Trust, has described the use of this technology as a "growing phenomenon".

Discussing the use of iPads in hospitals, Dr Duncan Watson, of University Hospital Coventry said, "This technology improves the performance of routine, but important, tasks and frees up clinical staff to do what only human beings can do - care for patients." 

With overwhelming benefits and the increasing use of iPads within the hospital environment, there was a need to develop a secure case to meet the NHS' strict hygiene requirements, that was also drop resistant and could be held securely or attached to bedside rails.

Developed by FutureNova in consultation with doctors and nurses at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the FlipPad can be operated whilst wearing standard surgical gloves and its protective screen features an anti-shatter film that can be cleaned with any infection control wipe or swab without damaging the iPad.

During the design process it became essential that the FlipPad would have to include a rear grip stand to allow the case to be securely held by clinicians, hung in wards on bed rails, and could also stand freely when used by patients.

With a product aimed at the medical industry, where there is no room for error, what could be done to ensure such a vital element of the product was safe and secure? 

For 40 years, Zygology has advised and assisted companies with contract assembly and assisting the process of getting products to market, ensuring the best solution to any assembly issues.

When FutureNova required technical expertise for the stand of their FlipPad iPad case, a meeting with Zygology was arranged in order to fully understand the product requirements and proposed assembly solutions to enable the stand to be set at any required angle.

Sample hinges were demonstrated by Zygology for their feel and effectiveness. The chosen hinge was from innovative hardware solution engineers, Southco.

The Southco ST-8P torque cartridge embedded hinge was selected as the most appropriate product to be utilised within the case stand.

The Southco hinge ensured FutureNova could create a rear grip stand for the FlipPad that was easy to position and hold securely in place. The ST-8P is designed to integrate constant torque functionality into a moulded assembly ensuring none of the hinge remained exposed, fulfilling FutureNova's specific requirements.  

The Southco constant torque hinge can be utilised throughout various industries that rely on precision and durability including aerospace, automotive, marine, railway, construction, and as the FlipPad demonstrates, the medical industry.

Since launch, the product has been met with praise and experienced success. 

When reviewed on medical technology website MedGadget.com, the FlipPad was described as, "If you need to keep your iPad perfectly clean and useful in a clinical environment, the FlipPad is about the only real choice out there.

Specifically regarding the Zygology and Southco collaborated stand MedGadget.com said, "The FlipPad has a specially designed rear handle that also functions as a stand. It's very convenient when holding the device in the air, and it works well as a stand.

The FlipPad has won various Innovate UK grants for its design, received the "Made for Apple" licence and is set to reach sales of $8.5 million in the US before the end of 2017.

Mike Casey, a former NHS director and founder of Futurenova, said, "Absolutely nothing like it currently exists and we anticipate it will make a real impact on infection control rates as well as having psychological outputs by connecting isolated patients to the outside world.

Following the consultation period with Southco and FutureNova, Ian Carter, Key Account Manager at Zygology added, "This exemplifies our approach to working with customers to find the best solutions to their assembly requirements.

In collaboration with FutureNova and Southco, Zygology are proud to have assisted in the development of this product and we're delighted to hear about its early successes. For more information about the process undertaken to create the FlipPad please click here and to view our full Southco range of products, please click here.

If your company or organisation has a product in development requiring engineered assembly, don't hesitate to contact our team today.