IMPRESS  is collaborating with Devices for Dignity Medtech Co-operative to jointly fund a feasibility study looking at how the design of female urinals could be improved.

Whilst many products have appeared on the market geared for use by younger women at festivals there is a growing need to create a better performing device for use in hospital and care home settings. In these environments the user may be faced with issues of mobility, frailty and loss of balance and in these circumstances a urinal type of device becomes increasingly useful. In many cases dexterity may be limited to one hand use, such as after a stroke, or be marred by long term conditions such as arthritis.  As a result there is a high demand for products which can take ease of use to a new level so that physically impaired people can maintain their desired degree of independence for as long as possible.

This project takes the opportunity to combine the skills of product design with engineering  to rethink how a female urinal device performs and to develop prototype next generation solutions using the latest engineering technologies.

The prototype designs will be presented at a public workshop  in Autumn 2018.