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Toshiba Group took two awards at iF Design Award 2015, the prestigious international competition that recognizes outstanding achievements in design. The Silmee™ Bar type paste-on wearable biological sensor received the Product Design Award, and the Hydraulic Double-Arm Robot won the Professional Concept Award .

The Silmee™ Bar uses a single sensor housed in a compact, user-friendly design to monitor biometric information. The concept of the Hydraulic Double-Arm Robot is of a robot that can assist people at work and as a trusted colleague.

Initiated in 1953 and organized by iF International Forum Design GmbH, iF Design Award is one of the most important international forums for industrial design. Products from around the world are comprehensively evaluated for design originality, innovativeness, functional ease of use, quality and environmental considerations, and awards are given to exceptional designs. Toshiba Group has now won awards 17 years in a row.

Main features of Toshiba’s award winning products

1. The Silmee™ Bar type paste-on wearable biological sensor

This wearable biometric information sensor*1 is fixed to the chest with gel and continuously measures cardiac action potential, pulse wave, 3-axis acceleration and skin temperature. Measured data are saved in an embedded memory and can be sent to a smart phone or tablet via Bluetooth®. Simply placing it on the chest allows  autonomic nerve analysis from changes in the heartbeat interval and pulse wave interval. Based on these results, sleep quality and rhythm can be also analyzed.

*1 This is not a medical device, and is not sold or provides for purposes of diagnosis or treatment.
Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

2. Hydraulic Double-Arm Robot

The Hydraulic Double-Arm Robot is designed for use manufacturing on a cell product line with a high-product mix and low volume throughput. Intended to complement the humans it works alongside, the robot is similar in size to and moves like a real person, and can handle heavy materials. Hydraulic actuators are used for the arms, giving the robot a high load capacity. Overall control performance is boosted by the use of, electric actuators from the elbows to the wrist. Toshiba has introduced a similar robot on its production lines and aims to use it as a resource in service provision as well as at production sites.

The IF Design Award

iF International Forum Design GmbH has sponsored the iF Design Award for 62, years, since 1953, as a forum for exceptional designs selected from industrial products worldwide. Awards are given in five categories: products, packaging, communication, interior architecture, and professional concept. Nominated products are subjected to comprehensive evaluations of originality and innovation, functional ease of use, quality and environmental considerations.

The iF Professional Concept Award also considers, how well a design concept realizes the needs of the user, company and market.