February 2011 • Observed
Aging By Design
By Mason Currey
WEB
www.ifdesign.com
Among the 43 medical devices selected for this year’s iF product-design awards in Hannover, Germany, three in particular should help consumers age in comfort and style. Paint-dipped canes by the New York company Omhu come in six glossy colors inspired by Scandinavian furniture, bicycles, hockey sticks, and skateboards. The ReSound Alera wireless hearing aid uses proprietary technology that the manufacturer claims eliminates the echoing and signal degradation of earlier wireless aids. And Superfocus eyeglasses allow wearers to adjust their focus via a sliding mechanism on the bridge—so they can choose the exact sight correction that works best under particular distance and lighting conditions.
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