Dezeen Magazine

Ido Abulafia designs Pick medical kits to give children a better blood-test experience

Israeli designer Ido Abulafia has created a set of bird-themed toy medical kits intended to give children a more positive hospital experience (+ slideshow).

Pick by Ido Abulafia

Each prototype Pick kit comes in an egg-shaped plastic cover, and contains a syringe – without the needle – a metal spring, a pair of soft plastic wings, and a small whistle that can be connected to the syringe.

Pick by Ido Abulafia

Together, the parts form a toy bird with wings that can be moved by working the mechanism of the syringe.

Children would be encouraged to assemble the various pieces during their visit to a hospital, doctor's surgery or clinic.

Pick by Ido Abulafia

Abulafia hopes the kit could both distract children from an impending blood test, and also give them a better understanding of the surrounding medical environment.

Pick by Ido Abulafia

"During the experience the child is exposed to different medical instruments and sees them in a more positive way," the designer said in a statement.

Available in five different colours, each toy set would contain a differently shaped set of wings and children could take the assembled bird away with them after the blood test has finished.

Pick by Ido Abulafia

Pick is Abulafia's final project in industrial design studies at the Hadassah Academic College of Jerusalem, and was prompted by the designer's research into children's experiences of hospitals.

Pick by Ido Abulafia

"I detected a strong need for children to get a more attentive and humane care in this harsh environment," he said.

"My main challenge as a designer was to make the hospitals a more pleasant environment for children, in order to reduce the stress and anxiety caused by routine checkups."

Pick by Ido Abulafia

"I believe that hospitals need to explore the field of healthcare design. This is what they need these days," he added. "It's not only about modifying existing instruments and devices, but to deal with the hospital's environment and the needs of both patient and physician."

Also designed for blood tests is a low-cost centrifugal device that fits onto the wheel of a bicycle, providing provide a simple blood diagnosis for patients in remote parts of Africa.

Pick by Ido Abulafia

In a more conceptual project, Royal College of Art student Celine Park suggested simplifying the vaccination process by replacing needles with mushroom inhalers.

Photography is by Shahar Tamir.