Emerging Designs course 2021

BUBA – A toolkit for remote pediatric diagnostics

BUBA is a device including a set of instruments designed for remote contact with a doctor. It will allow you to perform basic check-ups on your child without having to visit the doctor’s office.
Concept image of Buba showing the instrument set and a parent using one instrument on a child

Team's description of the project

Children's growth process is accompanied by a build-up of immunity, which means that they are more likely to become ill at certain ages. Therefore, our main focus is on pediatric flu which, if left untreated, may lead to serious complications. It is a challenge for both parents and doctors. When it comes to going to the hospital, parents are faced with a complex series of decisions and a heavy workload. BUBA is a service system with a toolkit and an online platform that provides a reliable and efficient solution for remote contact with a doctor.

BUBA includes several medical units that allow the pediatrician to examine the child from a distance: remote stethoscope, otoscope with a camera unit for ear or throat check-ups, non-invasive blood sampling device, and temperature monitoring stickers. All these devices transfer data and messages straight to the doctor during the visit. Doctor monitors and manages the units. It is up to the medical professional to decide which items are needed to perform the test. Parents are guided through the visit by the activation of specific components performed by the doctor. Activation of a device triggers a pulsating light that doubles as a visualization of certain bodily functions, such as heartbeat.

The whole service is playful and build in a way so the parent can also learn from the interaction. The tools keep kids engaged and perhaps curious and willing to see the doctor without fear.

We see a potential in including the BUBA toolkit in the Parent Box - a more inclusive extension to current Finnish Maternity Package model, as we believe there are many parental models - a kit granted by the Finnish social security institution to all expectant or adoptive mothers covered by the Finnish social security system. Currently, the package contains children’s clothes and other essential items useful in the first days of the newborn’s life. BUBA, as a basic pediatric diagnostic tool delivered to every parent, has a potential to support the diagnostic process, facilitate communication between parents and doctors and support self-management in terms of healthcare.


In the autumn of 2021 students enrolled in Emerging Designs course were given a brief to design concept for tackling problems in the healthcare system. The focus was on developing healthcare and social care in sparsely populated areas of the Nordics, visioned in 2030 with distance spanning solutions. Altogether seven concepts were created and BUBA is one of them. 

Team members

Yunran Zhou (China)

Industrial designer

Vivian Stolt (Finland)

Industrial designer

Aleks Łukaszewska (Poland)

designer

More about the course and the related study programmes

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Emerging Designs course 2021

During Emerging Designs course seven student teams developed conceptual solutions for developing health care and social care in the rural areas. The focus of design work was in the Nordic countries, which vision in 2030 to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. Here you find the students' proposals with detailed descriptions.

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