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MSc Product Design Engineering School of Design

Antoine Graham

(He/Him)

Driven, detail-oriented, and diligent product design engineer with a passion for solving complex problems through hands-on exploration. I specialise in the development of medical devices and consumer electronic, blending advanced CAD, data analytics, and co-design strategies to deliver context-sensitive solutions. I thrive in collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams and enjoy pairing technical rigour with user-centric engineering.

Most recently, I’ve led projects involving reverse engineering, standards analysis, and lifecycle assessments with a focus on sustainable innovation in low-resource settings.

Contact
antoinerwgraham@gmail.com
A.Graham3@student.gsa.ac.uk
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V-IIB Thermal Medical

V-IIB Thermal Medical

Contains discussions of infant mortality

Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy is a type of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation that kills 2.4 million infants annually. It disproportionately affects patients in Low-Middle Income Countries where limited access to prenatal care affects the management of prepartum risk factors responsible for birth asphyxia.
The preferred treatment is called ‘therapeutic hypothermia’, and involves dropping the infant’s core temperature to 33.5 degrees for 72 hours to avoid reperfusion injury.
However, existing solutions are prohibitively expensive and unable to operate in the arid climates of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Working closely with specialists in obstetrics and low-resource medicine, I reviewed existing treatment plans, conducted field interviews, developed a mathematical model of my thermal system, and built a functional prototype to validate my design per EN 60601-2-35:2021. The final solution induces Therapeutic Hypothermia in neonates using a low-cost cooling mattress that can be flat-packed for rapid deployment. Its connector-free frame allows for intuitive assembly by lay users, and the open-sourced hardware and firmware promote long-term repair in remote clinical settings.

See V-IIB in action on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9OA_bfxeZk

Neonatal ward

Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy is a type of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation that kills 2.4 million infants annually. It disproportionately affects patients in Low-Middle Income Countries where limited access to prenatal care affects the management of prepartum risk factors responsible for birth asphyxia.
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Therapeutic Hypothermia Treatment

The preferred treatment is called ‘therapeutic hypothermia’, and involves dropping the infant’s core temperature to 33.5 degrees for 72 hours to avoid reperfusion injury. However, medical devices capable of providing this treatment are prohibitively expensive and cannot operate in Sub-Saharan Africa's arid climate.
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Human factors

Multiple cooling mechanisms, like forced evaporation and heat-exchangers were considered but rejected due to their cost, complexity, or unsuitability to humid climates. The preferred concept features a fastener-free frame with interlocking panels. Inside sits a compact thermoelectric module powered by an external battery or solar panel.
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Human factors

To ensure user safety and maximise the treatment’s efficacy, human factors for medical devices were considered in detail - including patient anthropometrics and Applied Cognitive Task Analysis
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Storyboard

Storyboarding helped to identify user pain-points and define the Core Value Proposition whereby the final solution should be affordable, self-sufficient, adaptable, and repairable.
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User testing

Participants were asked to role-play through the scenario board to help identify usability issues that may have been overlooked during initial concept development. Users felt the mattress was too difficult to lift and that the frame was awkward to carry without handles. On multiple occasions, users overlooked the buttons on the interface as a touchscreen.
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Thermal model

To determine whether cooling a mattress using thermoelectric modules was viable in Ethiopia’s arid climate, the insulation used in the thermal system was modelled as a resistive network of five homogenous and isotropic material layers, subject to Fourier's Law of Heat Conduction.
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Material considerations

The lack of fabrication infrastructure in low-resource environments requires simple, context-specific solutions to be implemented. Using Granta EduPack, cork, pine, cardboard, plywood, sand, brick, and cement were identified as cheap insulators that are easily processed. Fibres like cotton, wool, and burlap are also affordable and accessible thanks to Ethiopia’s booming agricultural and textile industries.
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Optimisation software

Whether it’s a need for funding, treatment, or spare parts, accessibility underpins the entire project and the needs of all stakeholders involve. As such, V-IIB is supported by a web-based application that equips lay users with the decision making tools to adapt their V-IIB unit to the resources available in their specific environment. This not only improves the efficacy of treatment but also helps to extend the lifetime of V-IIB's hardware, reducing the need for repairs and maintenance.
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Hardware prototype

V-IIB’s frame is made of laser-cut MDF with friction-fit finger joints. In the centre, surrounded by blocks of insulation, is a thermoelectric module with an aluminium heatsink and 12V fan to dissipate excess heat. Digital probes monitor the infant’s core temperature, while speakers and a display provide detailed visual and auditory feedback. V-IIB is a successful proof-of-concept for the implementation of open-source principles in the deployment of medical devices for marginalised communities.
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