UWTSD Industrial Design Master’s student Adam Higgins is one of only two Welsh entrants amongst a hundred chosen submissions to be showcased in the Global Grad Show, a virtual and interactive year long exhibition.

UWTSD says his innovative project, called ani:MED, is a collection of medical preparation aids which aim to reduce the anxieties and fears children experience surrounding common medical procedures and examinations. It was selected from one thousand six hundred submissions from two hundred and seventy universities across the globe.

The ideas are the outcome of rigorous academic research conducted by graduates and their professors, reflecting areas of deepest environmental, social or economic concern, such as the world’s ageing population, the number of people living with chronic illness, the radical approaches dealing with waste and the increasing number of communities vulnerable to emergencies.

Adam Higgins, a Product Design graduate at UWTSD’s Swansea College of Art, said “The products help children to gauge an understanding of what’s about to happen and gives them clarity, making them feel more comfortable. It gives them an opportunity to feel more in control thus reducing the potential for anxiety. ani:MED is the first collection of products with the potential to improve a child’s medical experience.

“In addition to the online show, I’ve also been selected to be part of the 12-month Entrepreneurship Programme which showcases and promotes the collaboration and development of university graduates’ projects addressing challenges faced by people and communities around the world. I’m excited to participate and showcase ani:MED on a global scale and can’t wait to see the responses and reactions to the project.

“Studying at UWTSD has enabled me to develop the necessary skill set to create, develop and complete ani:MED to the stage it is at now. Throughout my time in university, I have been able to complete many projects which have given me client experience and have developed my design skills. The continued support and feedback from tutors throughout my time at UWTSD has undoubtedly added to the success of my final major project.”

The collection of three products are each specific to a certain procedure or examination:

• The elephant is specific to blood tests. It provides a simulation of a blood test using an interactive needle and magic syringe. The product is equipped with a viewing window and exposed tube (a vein) to see “blood being drawn” but also “blood being regenerated”
• The giraffe is specific to heat and temperature readings. It provides real time readings of temperatures and heart rates using real medical thermometers and stethoscopes. The product is programmed to demonstrate what a good and bad temperature/heart rate is to have
• The tiger is specific to nebulisers. It provides a simulation of how you take medicine through a mask. By pressing the mask to the nose of the tiger it produces a vapour which can be seen in the viewing window on the front of the product

Dr Pete Spring said “As the Academic Director for the 3D Design programmes here at Swansea College of Art, I am thrilled to be able see Adam’s designs continue and reach the stage that we now see them. I have no doubt at all that he will continue to develop these and his other design projects as he proceeds and then enters what is clearly going to be a bright creative future. Adam is a natural talent, and I and the team wish him every success and good fortune.”

The programme, now in its sixth year, and held in partnership with Dubai Culture and A.R.M Holding, saw entries rise by 30% and features ideas from leading institutions such as Imperial College and Harvard, alongside first time representation from countries such as Indonesia, El Salvador and Oman.

The projects will be brought to life in an inaugural interactive digital exhibition on globalgradshow.com, giving a voice to the next generation of innovators and connecting the public and potential investors all over the world with ideas that have the potential to change lives.

The virtual exhibition will showcase the graduates behind each one of ideas and will also see prototypes, films and original research material visually curated for online visitors to engage and interact with.