The Client
Openair Medical Devices was formed to bring an innovative health product to market.
The introduction
Paul Jarrett, Managing Director of Sonin was working with Dr Don Butler, based in Australia and his son, Tim Butler in the UK, directors of Openair Medical Devices, to develop a solution for a lung performance diagnostic device.
The solution would comprise a mobile app, to be produced by Sonin, and a device to measure the lung performance. The next step in the development was to produce a prototype device as a proof of concept. This was the point that Sonin introduced Terzo to Openair Medical Devices
“Mark Davison and Neil Tubman came highly recommended by Paul. They had a credible background; and from our first meeting which was online during the pandemic, I gained a good feeling that they were capable, genuine and trustworthy.”
Tim Butler, Director, Openair Medical Devices Ltd
Following an initial 90 minutes workshop, Terzo set out the scope of what was required and what they would deliver. Once engaged they were self-driven to complete the project.
The project
The first task was to conduct a detailed survey to short list hardware components. 20 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chips were researched along with 10 pressure sensors. A table of possibilities was drawn up, including how the components would work together and their key features.
A close working relationship between Sonin and Terzo was very important, as the hardware device utilised a BLE interface with the mobile app, which Sonin were developing.
Once the final choice on the hardware had been made, Terzo got to work on creating a prototype and carrying out extensive tests on both the measurement performance and on the connectivity with the app.
“We’d had regularly progress updates, but it was great to watch the video that Mark made to demonstrate the working model. The testing wasn’t in the specification. We really appreciated that they went above and beyond to make sure what they delivered was great.”
Tim Butler
The final part of this phase was to produce a Bill of Materials (BoM) to calculate manufacturing costs and a target sale price.
The BoM exercise not only researched the quality of the hardware, but also had an eye on the cost of the components knowing that the production and sale of the device has to be economically viable.
“Phase 1 of this project has been completed on time and represented great value on our investment with them. Terzo has delivered what they said they would. They have been extremely accommodating and professional.”
Tim Butler
The development of this potentially life-saving device can now progress to the next phase, which is to evolve the proof-of-concept into a design that’s ready for manufacture.