Asthma Inhaler Shrinks to Credit Card Size in New Design
People suffering from asthma may soon have a sleek alternative to traditional — and bulky — inhalers.The Bloom Inhaler fits in the palm of your hand, and is approximately the size and shape of a credit card.
Asthma medication is delivered through a tiny nozzle that flips into place atop a circular hole in the top half of the device; users place their mouths over the hole to administer a dose of medicine, just as they would when using a traditional inhaler's mouthpiece.
Any standard inhaler canister can be used to fill Bloom, the product website said. The device holds six doses, each dispensed with the push of a trigger, and can be refilled an infinite number of times. The flat, steel inhaler fits easily inside a wallet, and its trim design allows users to carry and use the device discreetly, unlike bulkier models that can be awkward to carry.
Bloom's creator, James Cazzoli, is a mechanical engineering student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. Cazzoli said he drew inspiration for this particular design challenge from his own experience growing up with people who suffered from severe asthma. He thought that a more streamlined inhaler design could help people with chronic asthma feel less constrained by their dependence on the medication, the inventor said in a statement. For those with asthma who are used to wrapping their lips around an inhaler's mouthpiece, the so-called "open-mouth technique" Bloom employs — where the mouth is near the dispensing nozzle but not sealed around it — may seem awkward. However, the notion that medicine will be lost if there isn't a tight seal between the lips and a mouthpiece is a misconception, Cazzoli explained.
Comments
Post a Comment