Medical Design
Endoscopic surgery is a hugely demanding ergonomic task. The hand of the surgeon has to perform a wide range of motions and execute several actions with one tool. SurfaceID loves this challenge and has developed several of these devices for US Surgical, Ethicon, etc. We first draw tons of sketches as part of the conception/task analysis process. In tandem, we make several prototypes to analyze the ergonomic and task execution capability of each form factor—this page shows a sample of the work. When it comes to medical equipment, there is no room for error and SurfaceID has played an ever more important role in ergonomic development.
United States Surgical built its name on the surgical stapler with preloaded, interchangeable staple cartridges, and its stapling business lives on today within Medtronic. In endoscopic surgery, the surgeon works through small openings with long instruments, and one hand has to perform a wide range of motions and several actions with a single tool.
SurfaceID worked on the ergonomics of US Surgical’s endoscopic stapler, focusing on how the handle fills the hand and how comfortably and reliably each action can be performed during a long procedure.
Sketching and prototyping ran in parallel. Pages of sketches explored the task and the grip, while quick foam prototypes let the team hold each form factor and compare how well it supports the full sequence of actions. In medical equipment there is no room for error, so ergonomics were judged in the hand, not just on screen.
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