Hospital Bed Remote

The challenge

Care homes face a growing population of senior citizens — and fewer hands to care for them. LINAK, the company behind the actuators in countless hospital beds, asked a three-week master’s team: how do we redesign the bed remote so citizens can operate it themselves?

Today the remotes are used almost exclusively by caregivers. Giving citizens back that control means designing for arthritis, low vision, and unfamiliarity with technology — all at once.

Desk research

We started by mapping the impairments that stand between senior citizens and the current remote — grip strength, dexterity, eyesight, cognition — and surveyed existing remotes, accessibility controllers, and assistive devices for what already works.

Field work

We visited two care homes and interviewed caregivers — and, on one visit, two citizens — to see how remotes are actually used in context. The barriers were consistent:

• Low tactility — buttons hard to feel and distinguish
• Confusing layout with too many functions
• Too big or too wide for smaller hands
• Low contrast — hard to read, impossible to find in the dark

One telling insight: recliner-chair remotes with a simple up/down layout were used by citizens. Simplicity works.

Sketching ideas

With the field insights as constraints, we sketched widely — exploring shapes, layouts, functions, materials, and button types that could make the remote self-explanatory at first touch.

Prototyping

We turned the strongest sketches into physical prototypes and experimented hands-on with different shapes, sizes, button types, and layouts — cheap, fast, and tangible.

Testing

We ran a workshop where design students stress-tested the prototypes under simulated impairments:

• Ski gloves to simulate arthritis and reduced dexterity
• Eyes closed to simulate visual impairment, navigating by touch alone
• Think-aloud walkthroughs of every function

We also consulted an expert on introducing technology into healthcare systems to pressure-test the concept against real-world constraints.

3D CAD model

I consolidated everything we learned — layout, functions, shape — into a detailed 3D model. Large, high-contrast rocker buttons; a narrow, grippable waist; and only the functions citizens actually need.

3D printed & in hand

Printing the model made the design real: we could hand it to people, watch their grip, and collect far more concrete feedback than any render allows.

Outcome

A remote concept that senior citizens can find, hold, and operate on their own — supporting LINAK’s goal of preparing elderly care for a future with fewer hands, and giving citizens more agency over their own comfort.