8 July 2010

Farm and MAKO Surgical have been chosen by an independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine to receive a 2010 R&D 100 Award for the Rio® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. The award recognizes the hundred most technologically significant products introduced in the past year. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to market, many of which have become household names, helping to shape everyday life for many Americans. The 2010 R&D 100 Award winners will be recognized at the R&D 100 Awards Banquet, which will be held at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld in Florida on Thursday, November 11, 2010.

8 June 2010

Medical Design Technology magazine stopped by Farm’s booth at MD&M East and interviewed Marc Dubreuil, Director of Business Development at Farm, to learn about the collaboration between Farm and MAKO Surgical Corp. on the design of the RIO® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. The video also features Paul Abrams, MAKOplasty Specialist, explaining how the surgeon uses the device and Brian Schmitz, Director of Platform Development at MAKO Surgical Corp., discussing the reasons Farm was selected and highlighting the end result.

9 June 2010

Farm has been honored with a 2010 Gold Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) for work on the Rio^® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. This revolutionary device, marketed by MAKO Surgical Corp., assists surgeons during minimally invasive knee resurfacing operations.

Farm’s collaboration with MAKO Surgical Corp. brings true product innovation to the hands of surgeons by introducing a proprietary, interactive robotic surgical system that helps treat people living with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis of the knee.

Farm’s human factors expertise helped create an ergonomic design solution that enables the surgeons to have complete freedom of movement of the robotic arm, providing seamless interaction and manipulation during replacement procedures while also accommodating the size variations of users and patients.

On Wednesday, June 9, 2010 the 2010 MDEA winners were honored in a presentation ceremony at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The ceremony is being held in conjunction with the June 8-10, 2010 Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East Conference and Exposition. Please check out Farm's photos from MD&M-East.

12 May 2010

A case study was recently published in Ergonomics in Design magazine - a publication affiliated with the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - titled, "User Research Improves Laparoscopic Instruments," co-written by Farm's Director of Research & Usability, Beth Loring, and Industrial Designer, Erin Lemieux.

The case study features a development project that Farm worked on for Cardinal Health's Diamond Line of laparoscopic instruments. The case study discusses how Farm's multi-disciplinary team conducted human factors and user research to design a new handle with improved ergonomics, resulting in improved comfort and usability by utilizing a user-centered development process. Read the case study...

19 March 2010

Cook Medical launched the NavAlign Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Placement System with a femoral access option this week at the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in Tampa Bay, Florida. The femoral access option complements the already available jugular access version. Check out the press release…

5 March 2010

Farm, in conjunction with HollisHelpsHaiti.org, would like to thank everyone who stopped in to donate items and supplies for the victims of the earthquakes that devastated Haiti. HollisHelpsHaiti.org and friends worked together to support the ongoing efforts of the Haitian Community Center of New Hampshire to help the victims in Haiti who are in dire need. All donated items were packed on Tuesday, March 2 at Anheuser-Busch in Merrimack, NH. The relief effort was a complete success!

A 53-foot truck (5,000 cubic feet of space) was packed full and driven to Florida, where it will be shipped to Haiti to assist in the relief effort.

Farm employees donated money, as well as goods, which was used to purchase the following items:

• 10 packages of toilet paper
• 10 boxes of Cheerios
• 10 boxes of oatmeal
• 14 bags of rice (50lbs each)
• 5 cooker/steamer pots
• 2 boxes of diapers
• 4 boxes of baby wipes
• 9 canisters of baby formula
• Various packages/boxes of feminine hygiene products
• 2 rolls of black parachute cord (1,000 feet each)

St. Mary's Bank is still accepting cash donations. Thanks again for making this effort a complete success!

MAKO Surgical Corp., a client of Farm, has announced the commercial availability of the Lateral Unicompartmental Knee Resurfacing Application for its RIO^® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. The new application complements MAKO's existing unicompartmental and bicompartmental knee applications. The MAKO robotic arm system is the first FDA-cleared device of its kind. It is a less invasive partial knee resurfacing procedure that spares healthy bone and tissue, preserves ligaments, and allows for a more rapid recovery and a more natural-feeling knee. Click  Click here to read the press release.

20 November 2009

Farm had the opportunity to partner with Cook Medical on the NavAlign IVC filter delivery system and is excited to learn it's being unveiled at TCT2009. To learn about the NavAlign IVC filter delivery system visit the "Our Work" section. Read the article as seen on medGadget.

17 November 2009

The annual New Hampshire High Technology Council (NHHTC) NH Product of the Year Awards was held Tuesday night, November 17, at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH.

Farm & Viaflo jointly submitted the VOYAGER® Electronic Adjustable Spacing Pipettor for consideration and were chosen as one of four finalists to compete for the title of NH's 2009 Product of the Year.

Farm and Viaflo attended the awards event where the finalists were given the opportunity to showcase their product & explain its significance in a seven-minute presentation to a large audience including Governor John Lynch.

On behalf of Viaflo & Farm, Viaflo's Larry Keene (vice president of sales), accepted the Judge's Award and a Gubernatorial Citation from Governor John Lynch for the VOYAGER ® Electronic Adjustable Spacing Pipettor.

The NHHTC's Product of the Year competition celebrates innovation at its peak in great achievements in product design and development in the Granite State.

12 November 2009

What is World Usability Day (WUD)? Founded in 2005, World Usability Day is an initiative of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) to ensure that products and services important to human life are easier to access and simpler to use. It's about making our world work better, and making life easy and user friendly. Each year, over 200 events are organized in more than 43 countries around the globe to increase awareness and train professionals in the tools and issues central to quality usability research, development and practice.

On Thursday, November 12, 2009 Farm participated in WUD's 5-year anniversary event titled, "Designing for a Sustainable World". The event took place in Boston beginning at South Station and ending at MIT's Stata Center.

Farm's exhibit focused on medical product development. Farm designers and engineers created an exhibit that demonstrated how design research informs not only usability, but sustainability as well. Farm used case study examples from Aircast and Cooper Surgical and applied product life-cycle thinking to show opportunities where the goals of usability, manufacturing, and reduced environmental impact align. This has not only helped visitors understand the environmental impacts of medical products over the course of their life-cycle, but has also emphasized that "green" products are more than just a trend; they create real benefits for both users and manufacturers.

The event was a thought-provoking success! Many of the visitors had never thought about the sustainability of medical products before. As part of the day's activities, Farm gathered responses from visitors and gained insights about what elements of sustainability are meaningful to consumers of medical and home healthcare products.

Check out Flickr to see photos from the event!