Hamilton Introduces a Happier Looking C2 Ventilator

Hamilton Medical has teamed up with RKS, an industrial design consultancy, to create the company’s new portable ventilator, the C2. Developed with loved ones in mind, the device, which will be made available later this year, wants to look like something other than a death postponement machine, a factor in today’s ventilators that sours an already terrible mood.
From the announcement:

The design language of the C2 is a reaction against competitive ventilators which appear to have been designed strictly to provide data, with no consideration of the patient, the operator, or the environment. In contrast, the design language of the C2 is inviting and reassuring. It leans forward, engagingly, offering a confident and smart display. The C2 evokes a friendly personality, while still giving everyone in the room confidence that it’s a ventilator upon which you can trust your life. The C2 features HAMILTON’s unique “Ventilation Cockpit” with an intelligent touch-screen interface that gives operators a quick, at-a-glance, dashboard display of key information. The Ventilation Cockpit provides exactly the information operators need and helps them focus on what’s important. The approachable and intuitive screen of the C2 tilts to accommodate different operator positions. The clear organization of information on the display reduces pressure on operators and helps to minimize errors.

With inbuilt batteries and weighing under 21 pounds the C2 can accompany a patient anywhere within the hospital, independently of central gas and power supplies. Patients don’t have to be disconnected for transport, increasing patient safety and comfort, while at the same time reducing operator workload. The C2 can be used on a countertop, rolling stand, or carried with the built-in handle that nestles into the top of the unit when not in use. The rolling stand was designed so that, when holding the C2, it looks like one integrated design rather than a piece of equipment perched on a stand. Set for launch in the 3rd Quarter of 2008, the resulting HAMILTON C2 is a confident and friendly ventilator that empowers operators to take patient care to new levels of safety, reliability, and comfort.
When you’re on a ventilator, you need more just than oxygen… you need to look up and see the face of hope looking back at you. The C2 is designed to spread calm and reassurance through the ICU as it breathes life into patients.

Press release: HAMILTON C2: WHAT COLOR IS HOPE? (.pdf)
Product page: Hamilton C2