Optics for Hire helps Design that Matters bring LED-based infant jaundice treatment to the developing world

Date Announced: 22 Jul 2011 Arlington, Mass - When Design that Matters, a nonprofit focused on creating products to improve the services provided by NGOs in developing countries, needed help designing an LED illumination system to treat neonatal jaundice they turned to Optics for Hire (OFH).Jaundice is a very common and easily treatable syndrome in newborn children, but when left untreated and in extreme cases brain trauma and neurological problems can result. The solution is a simple light therapy. Exposure to 430–490 nm (blue) wavelength light breaks down the chemical which causes jaundice and allows it to be excreted naturally. The task for Optics for Hire was to model the uniformity and efficiency of optics matched to a Seoul Semiconductor LED. Using the LED ray set provided by the vendor and the non-sequential modeling tools in ZEMAX, OFH helped determine the number of LEDs needed, their optimal position, and the best lens. Given initial production volumes and delivery time requirements, it was decided than an off the shelf TIR lens should be used. Designers of medical devices face slightly different engineering challenges when designing for the developing world. For example, hospitals are less likely to be climate controlled in counties like Vietnam, the location of a pilot study. In such environments of high heat and humidity, systems need to be designed very robustly.The beta versions of the phototherapy system will be delivered to a partner in Vietnam in the fall of 2011 with initial commercial production planned for 2012.About OFHOptics for Hire, the optical product development company, is a privately held firm with offices near Boston, Ukraine, and Belarus. Founded in 2002, OFH provides product development and prototyping services for clients with difficult, optics-centric requirements. OFH specializes in lens design for LED illumination, medical devices, video games, and zoom lenses; whole-product design including electronic, mechanical, and optical engineering; and computer vision software development for the entertainment industry. For more information, see http://www.opticsforhire.com About Design that Matters:Design that Matter's (DtM's) mission is to create products that improve the services of social enterprises in developing countries. DtM leverages the skills and intellectual capital of hundreds of volunteers and collaborators in academia and industry to create breakthrough solutions for communities in need. Our goal is to use design to empower our partners to deliver a better quality of service and a better quality of life to poor communities in the developing world. For more information see: http://www.designthatmatters.org

Contact
John Ellis

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Web Site:www.opticsforhire.com