Ultrasound System Wins Design Award

SonoSite, Inc. (Bothell, WA, USA), an international developer of hand-carried ultrasound systems, reported that its MicroMaxx ultrasound system is a recipient of the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA). The SonoSite MicroMaxx system is one of 106 award winners out of 1,494 applicants.

Sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA; Dulles, VA, USA), the IDEA awards are judged by a jury of 18 leading individuals in the design world. When reviewing applications and viewing product samples in a face-to-face evaluation, jurors focus on design innovation, benefit to the user, benefit to the client/business, ecologic responsibility, aesthetics, and appeal.

"This year's winners shared a few things in common,” remarked juror Robyn Waters, founder and president, RW Trend LLC. "The best of the best found a way to cut through the clutter and simplify product and message. The winning designers were able to tune into the hearts and the minds of the customer, not just into market trends, and deliver smart products that reframed entire categories.”

This is SonoSite's third IDEA award. In 2000, the SonoSite 180, the first hand-carried system weighing under 10 pounds, won an IDEA award and in 2003 the iLook system also won an award. "As the world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, SonoSite has built its corporate reputation on providing point of care solutions for physicians and their patients,” said Kevin M. Goodwin, SonoSite president and CEO. "To achieve this goal, we design hand-carried ultrasound systems that fuse form with function. On behalf of the entire SonoSite team, I want to thank IDSA for recognizing the MicroMaxx system as an important example of design and healthcare innovation.”

The MicroMaxx system, which weighs less than eight pounds and has the size and appearance of a notebook computer, provides high-resolution image quality at a lower cost than that of larger, heavier cart-based systems.



Related Links:
SonoSite
Industrial Designers Society of America