Praxis
Praxis Design
I played account management, design, project management, and business development roles at this boutique industrial design and mechanical engineering consultancy in Silicon Valley.
Disposable Stent Crimper
Stents are tiny tubes inserted into arteries to support them when weakened from illness. Guidant (since acquired by Abbott Labs) was a pioneer in this technology, and hired Praxis to create a reliable method of crimping the stents. This small product, simple in nature but precise in function, was designed to facilitate sterile and even crimping of a medical stent onto a guide wire prior to the surgeon inserting the guide wire/stent assembly into the patient. The single use device was designed to be a “one” movement operation, consistently accurate, and affordable. The polycarbonate parts could be easily disassembled for effective medical waste recycling or disposal.
Bar Code Scanner and Controller
Handheld scanner unit and control unit for more ergonomic bar code scanning in retail environments. Challenged the traditional “gun” form factor with a goal of reducing repetitive stress injury in users. Natural grip position reduced joint stress and increased accuracy of swiping motion over barcode. This unit was designed for Caere (since acquired by Nuance).
3D Glasses
These early examples of home 3D TV viewing were developed for start-up H3D. An unobtrusive, small, lightweight, comfortable and completely adjustable design. Wireless operation allows multiple glass wearers to simultaneously use the system. The home-use 3D viewing technology enhanced the experience through a faster, shutterless refresh system, thereby eliminating physical side effects common with other technologies. Prototypes were iteratively developed for ergonomics using 3D printing.
