Australian OCT manufacturer Cylite and its partner Cobalt Design have received another award for the soon to be released Hyperparallel OCT (HP-OCT), this time by Good Design Australia.
The companies took out the ‘Best in Class’ Engineering Design and Gold Medal for Product Design during the Good Design Awards Week, which ran from 11-15 October. Cobalt Design is a Melbourne-based product development agency.
This follows other recent awards, including the Premier’s Design Award, presented in 2021, and the Sir William Hudson Award – Engineers Australia’s most prestigious award – presented in 2020.
The Australian Good Design Awards are said to be the country’s oldest and most prestigious international awards for design and innovation with a history dating back to 1958.
It celebrates the best new products and services on the Australian and international market, including architectural design, precinct design, engineering, fashion, digital design and communication design. It also rewards new and emerging areas, including design strategy, social impact design, design research and up-and-coming design talent in the Next Gen category.
In presenting Cylite and Cobalt Design with their award, the Good Design Awards Jury stated it was “a sophisticated design with a clear step-change in innovation relative to previous generations of eye-imaging technology”.
“What set this entry apart from many others was the clear expression of relative impact (four instruments in one; cost equivalence to one; ease of use and benefits compared to older technology) and that there was third party validation of the innovation (grants, early adopters),” the panel said.
“Also impressive were the zero non-conformances. It is clear this product has been designed to a very high standard both from an engineering design and industrial design perspective. It is both visually pleasing and provides a comfortable and intuitive patient interface. Given the impact of a growing aging population around the world and eyesight being a major issue, this device will likely be in high demand into the future. A standout example of design excellence in this category that deserves to be recognised at the highest level in the awards.”
Mr Andrew Parkinson, Cylite’s vice-president of engineering, said the award was a testament to the ability of Australian engineers.
“Cylite and Cobalt’s team of engineers and designers have worked together, to produce world class medical technology combining cutting edge optics, electronics, software and mechanical design,” he said.
Cylite’s CEO Dr Steve Frisken added: “I would like to personally thank each of our extraordinary team for their creativity and dedication in delivering excellence in engineering across so many fields.
“We are also grateful to Cobalt design for their industrial design support and the wonderful look and feel of this innovative clinical diagnostic instrument. These innovations will, I believe, truly have a lasting impact on global eye health, which is a legacy that will provide ongoing pride to all those involved.”
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