A MindMics earbud can listen to your heart while you listen to music. Developed by Anna Barnacka, a Harvard Astrophysicist, the technology is so good that it was recently certified to be equivalent to an EKG. This accurate real-time continuous monitoring of your health is far superior to watches that can only approximate your pulse.
Devlin was involved from the very start of the project, assisting the team in the intricate construction of an earbud that would accommodate a small microphone that could gather accurate biometrics without disrupting the flow of music. Through a series of prototypes which were tested and verified over three years, the project developed into a commercially viable earbud design. The first application will help consumers control stress, breathing and mental wellness. Eventually, the device will be used in clinical environments after FDA certification.
Devlin is co-inventor and illustrator on two patents. The first was granted a year ahead of schedule and all claims were allowed as filed - a rare event and a testament to the novelty of this technology.
Services:
Industrial Design, Engineering, DFM, Illustration
Awards:
US Patent #11,234,069
”Best Wearable Technology” 2022 CES Android Authority
https://www.mindmics.org
In 2019, Devlin launched the Tessa Light web site to sell his design of the smallest, most economical motorized light in the world. Most architectural lighting is made to order, so it has a high cost and long lead time. In contrast, Tessa lights were manufactured in bulk, saving on cost and making them instantly available to customers. These lights can be adjusted safely from the floor below without ladders. In 2019, the District Arts Gallery in Frederick, MD became the first fully motorized art gallery in the country.
Sensory Cloud
Founder David Edwards was seeking an elegant way to float a cloud of flavor over cocktails and deliver sensory experiences using a piezo mesh nebulizer. Devlin created a solution that is as simple and iconic as a salt shaker.
With an opening at the top and fluid at the bottom, there is an intuitive signal to tilt. When mist emerges instead of fluid, a new experience is created that many want to share.
Inspired by laboratory glassware, bar top aesthetics, and familiar home dispensers, the hourglass shape separates at the center with a twist, allowing the glass vial to be refilled. An internal ball switch activates the mist. Power comes from two AAA batteries.
When the pandemic hit, Sensory Cloud re-purposed nimbus to deliver FEND, a calcium fortified saline that helps cleanse the airways.
www.hellofend.com
An automated puppy pad machine refreshes itself every few hours by rolling used pad and solids in to a sealed compartment. The finished roll does not smell and can be disposed. Devlin invented this concept, performed breadboard experiments, and delivered a production ready design.
Brilliant Pad went on to a successful Indiegogo campaign then appeared on Shark Tank. Watch the episode:
Services
Invention, Prototype and Testing, Mechanical Engineering, General Design, Manufacturing
O-Notes
Cyrano allows users to play aromas using their phone or tablet via bluetooth. This adds a new dimension to our daily experience.Cartridges are sold based on themes such as 'Einstein' or 'Surfside.' Devlin was asked to enhance the existing design for production.
Cyrano was put on display at the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Design Museum.
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Design
The designers were given a simple concept: "cartridge-based kitty litter". They were free to brainstorm on any method using sketches, rigs, and mechanical prototypes. The final design uses crystal litter which absorbs odor, but does not clump. An automatic mechanism rakes the solid waste to the front and tucks it under a flap. This revolutionary system allows the box to go unattended for up to a month.
Devlin pioneered the tuck-under-a-flap approach, and designed the mechanisms that move the rake and lift the flap. Devlin also designed for manufacturing and performed the 3D modeling.
Services
Invention, Prototype and Testing, Mechanical Engineering, General Design, Manufacturing
Website
www.scoopfree.com
Devlin developed the aluminum housing for the smallest near infrared spectrometers available. It was so small that JDSU wanted an attachment that could act as handle. Devlin developed a stiff elastomeric design that also featured an attachment point for an extension handle
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Design
MicroNIR Accessories
The company JDSU became VIAVI, where they continued the MicroNIR brand with a series of accessories that could adapt the miniature spectrometer to a number of uses. A turntable rotates a petrie dish as the spectrometer views from below. Other accessories include a handheld sensor for the field with various attachments.
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Design
Tom Devlin designed his first motorized display lighting for retail display as part of his master's degree at the Royal College of Art in London in 1989. It used stepper motors and required a computer and cables. Later, he realized that lasers could be used to simplify the control scheme: just point at the one you want to move, then use radio buttons to control. He patented this idea and pitched the technology to lighting manufacturers, but they were reluctant to take a risk. So he started Loto Lighting to market special gear motors and controllers that could be used easily in existing lighting designs.
Eventually, Tom had to create his own light fixtures. It was not a challenge since he had been making examples for a few years. The first one was Robo, a flexible, modern design for any size spot light. Next came, a compact fixture for MR16 lamps. Then Tom created the motorized gimbal ring for recessed fixtures. Meanwhile, his manufacturer became very interested in the technology, and together they created an entire catalog of motorized architectural lighting called MOTOLUX. Loto Lighting is now part of Formalighting LLC, an international brand with headquarters in Milan, which sells to the industry in USA.
Services
EVERYTHING
Awards
US Patents. 6,655,817 9,140,020 9,964,293
2017 Euroshop Art+Presentation Innovation Design Award
2014 Architectural SSL Product Innovation Award (PIA)
Links
This is a jewelry light box that sits on a store counter and allows customers to photograph potential pieces in very flattering lighting. The store sends them an email so they can show others. This helps retain customers, and the store captures contact information.
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Design
Hindsight is a new company marketing a next-generation hyperspectral imaging system. Devlin was able to design a handheld version that would house their technology. It includes LCD touch screen, input/output ports, handle with internal battery pack and trigger.
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Design, Fabrication Liaison
Devlin invented the 3Demo for Oral-B to illustrate the superior performance of the 3D Excel Toothbrush. It is given out to clinicians as an aid for selling the 3D Excel to their patients. The highlight is the interproximal projector, which reveals when bristles reach between teeth. The device also includes a strobe to slow down the rotational action, and see-through teeth that provide an underside view of the Flexisoft bristles. The cup of beads demonstrates the pulsing action of the head.
Devlin detailed the optical and mechanical design, and saw through to volume production of the 3Demo.
Services
Invention, Industrial Design, Optics Design, Mechanical Engineering, Injection Molding, Manufacturing
Oral-B is the leading manufacturer of toothbrushes in the world. Their laboratory was looking for new ways to get bristles in-between teeth. Because many people do not floss regularly, there is a risk of gingivitis and gum disease when plaque is not reached in the interproximal gaps.
Devlin first researched historical ways to clean, and used cues to inspire 40 separate concepts for a new toothbrush. The winner used a rotating wheel with sprockets that could reach in the gaps as the head passes across the teeth. This proved to be very effective in clinical trials.
Services
Invention, Mechanical Engineering
Awards
U.S. Patent #6,389,634
An industry leader, Adcole makes crankshaft inspection machines for auto manufacturers. They needed an updated design for their 1100/1200 machine. Devlin recognized that the separate control cabinet was a left-over feature from a time when computers were much larger. By integrating the controls in the main cabinet, the footprint was reduced by half, resulting in significant space and cost savings.
Services:
Industrial Design
BruxCare
Tom Devlin co-founded BruxCare LLC to develop and market GrindAlert, a comfortable headband with an electronic module that monitors the temporalis muscles, and emits a sleep-tone when the user clenches their teeth.
With 10% of the population grinding their teeth, and many in pain, there is a $1 billion market in treatments. BruxCare is working to penetrate this market with a solution to replace the mouthguard, which only masks the problem.
Devlin was inventor, designer and production manager, overseeing all aspects of volume production before handing to a sublicensee. Devlin also ran sales and customer service.
Services
Invention, Prototype and Testing, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing
Awards
U.S. Patents #6,117,092; 6,270,466
Website
www.grindalert.com
The microPHAZIR allows for real-time, on-site analysis of material with minimal training. The company was originally selling their technology in boxes tethered to a computer. Devlin was able to house the instrument along with an on-board computer and display in a portable handheld unit. Included was shockproof mounting of the sensitive optics engine. This was achieved within an aggressive 3 month timeframe for a trade show.
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Design, Electrical PCB Layout, Display Mount, Prototypes
Awards
Silver Award - 2006 IBO Design Awards for Excellence in Industrial Design
PITTCON 2006 Honorable Mention
Microptix had a microchip-sized sensor that could analyze the spectrum of light reflected off a sample. With the i-LAB, this transformative technology has placed lab bench technology in the hand of the user. The i-LAB analyzes fluids that are drawn in to the disposable chamber. It can even identify brands of beer.
Devlin was tapped from the very beginning, and convinced the client that vertical format and disposable bellow pump chamber would be a cleaner and more elegant solution than a pipette format. Devlin designed the optics in the top neck, the handheld body, and worked with a manufacturer to develop the disposable sampling chamber.
Services
Invention, Industrial Design, Logo, Optics Design, Mechanical Engineering, Injection Overmolding, Manufacturing
Awards
PITTCON 2007 Honorable Mention
Website
www.microptixtech.com
Once the litter cartridges for ScoopFree had hit the market, the client wanted a low-cost alternative to the automatic machine. The Slide is a manual version of ScoopFree made of inexpensive blow-molded components.
Services
Invention, Industrial Design, Mechanical Design, Design for Manufacturing
Innovia
A breakthrough in the core technology allowed for a significant reduction in the size of EarCheck, a product that allows parents to check for ear infections at home. This could ultimately reduce the number of trips to the doctor.
A number of concepts were created and shown to focus groups before the final form was developed for manufacture.
Services
Industrial Design, User Studies, Mechanical Engineering
Website
www.earcheck.com
DTM had acquired a technology from HP for making prototype patterns out of wax using a head originally designed for 2D images. By printing, then lowering the stage, a 3D geometry could be built. DTM needed a proof of concept machine that was highly accurate and stable, yet could fit in to an office space.
Devlin led the mechanical and electrical design team to create the PCT Machine in a mere 3 months to meet a presentation deadline.
Services
Mechanical Engineering, Project Management
ClassCo
ClassCo’s founder realized the potential of Caller ID technology when it was first established, and started a company to market a patent on talking Caller ID.
Devlin designed a number of products over the life of the technology. Philips opted to private label the product.
Services
Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Injection Molding
Awards
1997 -1999 CES Innovations Awards, Outstanding Product Design - American Society on Aging Universal Design Competition
Urea Quality Sensor
These flow-through sensors use spectroscopy to detect concentrations of AdBlue urea in clean diesel systems. The first prototypes were large and bulky. Devlin was able to compact the active optics in to an efficient space-saving design that can withstand the harsh conditions under a diesel truck in -40° weather. Devlin worked directly with the scientists developing this technology which required overmolding thermally and electrically conductive polymers.
Services
Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Optics Design, Injection Molding, Materials Specification
Website
www.sentelligence.com
eLight
The makers of Romex electrical wire, were the #1 vendor for Home Depot, and wanted to expand to other product lines.
Devlin brainstormed and documented 50 new product ideas. Prototypes of the top choices were built, then shown to customers at interviews conducted outside the stores. Eventually, the company settled on power-related products that were useful in the home.
Emergency flashlights tend to be designed with no regard for their appearance on the wall when plugged in. The eLight limits its ‘wall print’ to the size of the outlet cover, yet offers a pass-thru for two outlets.
Services
Invention, Industrial Design, Market Research and Video Production, Mechanical Engineering, Packaging
Covered Outlet Adapter
Tom Devlin co-founded New Vector Products, an intellectual property development company with partners that wanted to use their skills and methodologies to create and market their own products.
The first attempts involved brainstorming ideas, leading to a list of 400. Next, ideas were filtered using criteria such as feasibility and money-making potential.
The covered outlet adapter takes a common problem of unsightly wires exiting an outlet, and hides them away with neat cable management. The cover acts a splash guard, and a lock will deter children.
Services
Invention, Prototype and Testing, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing
Awards
U.S. Patent #5,605,466
