"Increasing rates of eye disease and loss of sight is a major healthcare issue and costs the UK 28 billion a year (Deloitte / RNIB, 2014). Delays in ophthalmic treatment in the NHS are directly causing sight loss (Foot and MacEwen, 2017). In developing countries lack of access to medical professionals is causing sight loss. This project will develop a series of clinically valid digital eye tests that work on common digital devices such as smartphones. These tests would enable robust home monitoring and repeat testing over time. The Agency of Design (AoD) and Queen Mary's University London (QMUL) have completed a small project part developing the first two tests with positive results in a small user trial. On completing the project AoD and QMUL realised the business model to commercialise the service is complicated. Whole Earth Futures (WEF) have been bought into the consortium to provide business model development and testing expertise. The project is structured around three key areas: * Market risk (is there a demand and is it scalable?) * Product/technology risk (can we build a clinically valid product?) * Business model risk (can we make money?) A 2015 report 'Digital Health in the UK' by Deloitte and the Office of Life Sciences states: ""Currently, mobile Health is being used more commonly by consumers to make decisions about wellness, but the potential lies in supporting higher-impact clinical decision-making and developing the interaction between clinicians and patients."" This neatly summarises the focus of our project, we believe it has significant potential to impact eye care both in the UK and internationally."

The Design Museum and The Agency of Design are collaboratively researching the application of immersive technologies in museums. The project uses a human centered design approach and to deliver creative, prototyped ideas that use immersive technologies (virtual reality / mixed reality / augmented reality) in exhibits for a forthcoming Design Museum exhibition. The team will also be exploring the opportunity to develop these ideas into stand alone immersive technology products or services targeted at the museum and exhibition industry.

This project will build on the prototype technology and processes that Unto this Last have built to enable CNC rapid manufacturing technology to be utilised to produce furniture on the High Street, at mass production prices. Unto This Last have developed and tested a business model of production at the point of demand, with a production unit at the shop location in the city centre. The CNC manufacturing technology is utilised to enable flexible digital manufacturing, using software to manufacture customised furniture to order at a competitive cost. This project will develop these prototypes to enable the Distributed Factory, a flexible manufacturing model with manufacturing units co-located with retail on the high street. Each unit would have the flexibility to manufacture the whole range of products, and if there is variable demand the flexibility to deliver orders placed at another location. The project will develop the IoT connected hardware, and the control software and processes that will enable this model to scale. We will demonstrate this working across three locations in the timeframe of the project. The project brings together a team that can develop this prototype to enable the business model to scale: Siemens (manufacturing / smart city), AT Kearney (lean manufacturing design, business process), HSSMI (technology integration) and Unto-This-Last who will exploit the commercial opportunity as a business.

Traditionally light bulbs have been thrown away at the end of their life. The advent of LED technology enables products that use dramatically less energy and have lifetimes that are orders of magnitude longer, thus imposing a new model on the industry. However, even with this longer life there will be millions of lamps that will reach end of life and require disposal, creating a substantial Electronic Waste (WEEE) issue. Current rates of recycling have reached 39.5% by weight, almost all from commercial lighting. This project will create and test the supply on a lease basis a range of attractive ultra efficient light bulbs to the consumer market where the lease cost will be on average lower than the energy saving, thus reducing the consumer’s cost of lighting while overcoming the current high cost barrier to the latest LED technology. Connectivity within the lamp will not only enable wireless control but also signal near end of life allowing the lamp to be returned, remanufactured and reused, enabling over 95% of the materials to be returned to productive use in a product with the latest specification and fashion.

Kingfisher's new ‘ProjectBox’ solution will enable our customers to hire, rather than buy, all the tools, consumables and support materials that they require to complete common household DIY tasks, such as shelving, flooring, plastering and tiling. Each ProjectBox will be carefully tailored to provide the exact tools that our customers require to complete a specific task. The boxes will also provide a clear set of instructions about how to use the products together with hint and tips about how to achieve the best overall result. By diverting those customers who have only a periodic requirement for access to tools and equipment towards this new rental service, ProjectBox will enable Kingfisher to provide people with access to much higher quality tools and equipment whilst also reducing total material consumption.

Feasibility study into the redesign of a kettle from the focus of cyclic materials.

Feasibility study into the redesign of an LED light bulb from the focus of cyclic materials.