patients communicating w/ an endotrachial tube. they currently are asked to write on paper, but some patients are so weak that they cannot even form their letters! There has to be a better way of doing this – adaptive iPod touches, maybe?
October 14, 2011
October 6, 2011
rethinking hospital aesthetics..
One of my classes this term, 2.75 (precision machine design), involves working on a medical-themed project. My team is looking to improve the patient repositioning process – as it stands, nurses frequently get hurt moving patients, and patients are moved in a way that is uncomfortable and inhumane. It’s a widespread and difficult problem, but I think that our team will come up with something innovative.
We visited MGH last week to observe a few patient repositioning techniques in action. What struck me the most about the visit, besides the actual devices, were the aesthetics of the hospital. The rooms would be difficult to make more dreary. Where are the colors and smooth shapes? Where are the designs that make medical devices seem more friendly? Even the waiting rooms are drab – one aquarium in the cardiac ICU even had a dead tropical fish lying ominously, one-eye up in the sand. It would be so easy to make patient and waiting rooms just a little bit more cheerful. As we enter the realm of intense hospital competition, little details like this could make a big difference. Maybe this is a biz opportunity for a company to come in and “positive-fit” hospitals…
another “feature” idea…
Fonts are unnecessarily hard to install/transfer, even when using OSX. A recurring problem when collaborating on presentation is inconsistency of fonts. There should be a plugin (cross platform) that makes it easier to imbed and install fonts in presentation (and other design) software. It would be great to be able to click/install right in the software you’re working in, without having to go through fontbook, etc.
June 29, 2011
Harpoon B2B 2011
Almost two weeks ago, on June 18th, Geoff and I completed the Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride , making the 150-mile trek from one brewery in Boston, to the other in Windsor, VT. I was really nervous about the ride – 150 miles in hilly terrain is no small workout. I had trained well, and fairly consistently, but never anything over 90 miles. I was also a bit apprehensive about nutrition, as one of Geoff’s friends failed to complete the ride last year due to dehydration.
The outcome was even more amazing than I ever could have imagined – not only did I finish, but I finished fast and strong. Coasting down the final turn as we entered the green valley of the Windsor Brewery was the best feeling – I felt totally on top of the world, and like I could have ridden another 100 miles! I passed people on the climbs, and took long pulls in our peleton of all-guys. I was also proud for being one of a few (maybe more than a few, but not very many) women to do the ride.
The weather was perfect for us (aside from a massive hail storm at the celebration BBQ), and I got to ride with an awesome group of guys that stayed together for the entire ride, waiting at rest stops, and lingering around when one of the guys got a flat.
Needless to say, I’m totally in love with cycling, and I can’t wait to do more rides like the B2B!
Thoughts from TechStars DemoDay
[delayed post - forgot to publish this on June 15th]
At TechStar’s demoday – the public presentation of the incubator’s companies to packed house of investors, and community members (like myself). These presentations are particularly interesting to me to serve as examples for an IAP accelerator program at MIT that is in the works.
Thoughts:
I also felt most drawn to companies whose co-founders were truly invested in the problem they were trying to solve (ie Strohl Medical, Spill). I also think that GrabCAD, Ginger.io, and Memrise had impressive products that solved a REAL problem. I’m tired of hearing of games and social networks – maybe after this bubble bursts, all companies in TS, YC, 500 startups, etc. will be based on real, core technologies…
April 7, 2011
OSAD
a site that helps you estimate cost of outsourcing manufactured parts… I know there’s software to do this, but it could be easy if you estimated based on all the data that’s available from companies that manufacture products abroad. could also help you get the best rate…
April 6, 2011
[product idea] a better bottle
I’m continually impressed at the tiny improvements that can be made to our favorite water bottles. One that I have in Mind is a combination of attributes of my favorite bottles:
an aluminum bottle +
rubber coating +
ergonomic curves like American Apparel bottles, or Poland Spring +
self-closing nozzle like Camelback bottles +
easy to clean (comes apart half-way, custom brush sold with it, etc)
March 27, 2011
California…
Just returned from a wonderful spring break in northern California, where I spent the first 17 years of my life. We stayed with family friends in Pebble Beach and took long walks/hikes along the picturesque coastline. We conducted whirlwind visits and meetings with friends in the bay area – Palo Alto, Cupertino, San Francisco. The weather was pretty crummy, and by that I mean a completely relative “crummy” – even the showers and high-50s, low-60s temperatures were much nicer than what we were greeted with upon return to Cambridge.
I can talk about how California’s great, but everyone’s heard that story. What was different this time, is that I really didn’t want to leave. I felt totally comfortable in my former-home – no angst to get back here for more creative inspiration, or anything like that. This visit in particular really left the impression on me that I will move back in the near future, hopefully after graduation here. I really do miss the place and can’t wait to visit again this summer!
More Ideas (OSADs)
1. better doctor-patient visit visualization/reporting software. I was at the doctor the other day as she was trying to place funny tags on a diagram of my body (which had scarce more detail than a stickfigure) with remarkably imprecise accuracy when I realized that the software doctors use to record visits (for their records and their patients) needs improvement. More accurate diagrams. Solidworks-style rotation of various diagrams, too.
2. A different way to meet people. What if dating sites didn’t set up the initial interaction, but established whatever came next? People meet other people all the time, and maybe it’s just a matter of taking and getting that first date that’s the problem. I’m envisioning an app, or even something more low-tech, like an RFID bracelet that you can exchange with people. That’ll later tell you some more granules about them (like what kind of food they like, or where they’d like to go on a date), and then helps you schedule a date, etc. if you’re so inclined. Maybe it could just be a leadup to an existing service like howaboutwe.com
3. Condensed news content delivery. I was inspired by my boyfriend telling me about Ze Frank’s one-video-a-day discussion of random topics. I think he introduces a whole new kind of content delivery. I don’t want to scour every news site in the morning, but be told what’s important in an efficient way. Maybe this could be through customized podcasts, maybe through an email digest, who knows..
March 10, 2011
OSAD #6
An application that allows you to collect phone numbers from your friends (and other numbers you’ve recently lost), without creating a stupid “plz give me ur numberz lol” event on facebook.
