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When light means life
Australian company specialises in designing and patenting medical lighting
solutions
Ed Howard has a history of designing specialised lighting solutions for medical
uses.
'I start designing a solution by first asking people close to the problem to
give me a "wish list" - what would they have if they could have their
druthers,' says Howard, who feels that almost everything can be improved. 'In
this case, my goal was to design a product which is just as therapeutic, but
without the very real drawbacks that the current systems have.'
Howard's Mediport Phototherapy Light is the result and has received unanimous
praise. His technology features lights which generate a negligible heat and
an adjustable, switchable and dimmable system which maintains the entire therapeutic
benefit to the baby, but does not include the light shock factor. Another special
quality of Howard's system allows medical staff to determine the actual colour
of the baby's skin, without switching off the therapeutic bulbs.
'The sunglasses are off,' grins Howard. 'And these babies are much more comfortable
while they recover from a condition which is already distressing to their little
bodies.'
Word gets around. No sooner had Howard finalised the designs for this product,
than he was approached by the Australian Army for a lighting solution which
would excel in combat situations. Once again, he sat down with the experts to
understand their very specific needs.
'During war, a field hospital is not set up until the area is cleared. This
could be hours and in the meantime, there are critically wounded soldiers needing
immediate attention. Often medic paratroopers are sent in, much in the same
way that paramedics are first on the scene of a car accident or heart attack
victim,' says Howard.
'These paratroopers literally have a hospital in a box, which is dropped in
a container from the helicopter to the ground. It is never a certainty that
the light will land in one piece. My solution solves this and features theatre-quality,
rechargeable lighting.'
Once again, Howard came up with an ingenious solution which goes beyond lighting
and includes some amazing inclusions.
According to Howard, 'The Australian Army is chuffed. And, of course, other
NATO countries and emerging armies are all potential buyers.'
As with any innovative technology, the applications are often vast. Howard
has also designed lighting units for standard and veterinarian theatre uses.
'This whole odyssey began when I took my sick dog to see the local veterinarian.
I was shocked when I saw the lighting he used for surgery, but I found that
this was simply standard practice. I set about designing a better "mousetrap"
so to speak. The result was so terrific that the veterinarian wouldn't give
it back to me once he trialed it,' says Howard.
Like most inventors, Howard was unsure what steps to take to protect this initial
foray into lighting systems. He began by speaking with a patent attorney, who
no longer handles his work, but made it clear that patenting was critical to
protecting his amazing technology.
Now, several patents later, it appears that a large American medical lighting
company is keen to buy the lot.
'In my industry, patents talk,' says Howard.
'My intellectual property specialist, Jamie Massang from Intellpro in Brisbane,
has helped me to gain patents for each and every unique aspect of my technology,
along with applying for trade mark registration for Mediport Because the currency
that I trade in are the intellectual property rights - the patents and trade
marks - which front the technology.'
'Patenting is an expensive and complex game, but I would be in a completely
different bargaining position without them. This way I stand to make significant
cash, which I will probably use to finance other ideas that I have. The American
company has indicated that they would like first rights over these concepts,
so once again, a patent application - at the very least - will be the key to
our discussions.'
One thing is for sure, Howard's approach to 'give them what they want' has
already resulted in a line-up of vital improvements to medical lighting.
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