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Make to Care

at #mfr2023 the eight edition of the make to care contest

 

winners of the Make to Care 2023

 

Make To Care: an award to Makers that help overcoming disability.

Logo make to care

Promoted by: Sanofi (Gold Partner of MFR)

The world of healthcare is constantly evolving, ever increasing in complexity, costs, and stakeholders, and presenting huge challenges to policy making, decision making, system design and solutions design. In MAKEtoCARE, with Sanofi, we’ll show how makers, innovators, service and information designers can work with practice professionals and patients/advocates to make a positive difference in healthcare.

The contest: MAKEtoCARE seeks and rewards innovative, practical solutions that are useful for responding to the real needs of people with any form of disability, serious and / or chronic diseases or victims of traumatic events which result in a temporary or permanent change in the quality of life.
Whether it’s a product or a service, MAKEtoCARE solutions always want to make a difference and change the lives of patients and / or their caregivers for the better.

How to apply: to participate it was necessary to submit your project/proposal to the Call for Makers, Call for Schools or Call for Universities and Research Institutes in the “Health & Wellbeing / Wellness & Healthcare” category.

Info: maketocare@maketocare.it 

>>> Discover the finalist projects

The Winners of the 2023 Edition

Make to Care 2023 is adorned in pink. The orthopedic corset turned fashion accessory and a software enabling girls with Rett Syndrome to communicate through the movement of their eyes triumph at the Sanofi Contest.

The projects Frida and Amélie share the victory in the eighth edition of the Contest, which rewards highly innovative ideas directly conceived by patients or those who care for them to truly improve the lives of those living with disabilities.

Technology and innovation challenging disabilities, demonstrating the ability to overcome taboos and barriers—this is the narrative of the two female-oriented projects, Frida and Amélie, honored in Rome during the Sanofi Make to Care Ceremony, the eighth edition of the contest that has seen over 600 submitted projects, 60 finalists, and 14 winners over the years, each time recognizing open innovation solutions for patients and caregivers that genuinely enhance the lives of those with disabilities.

Frida is the brainchild of Yasmine Granata from Sicily, a product designer who, after spending her adolescence wearing a brace for 23 hours a day, conceived and developed a new type of orthosis to correct scoliosis, involving experts and orthopedic workshops. Thanks to her patented fabric, more breathable and lighter, and interchangeable details, she transforms the corset into a true fashion accessory. The device “activates” through electrodes and automated push pads that enhance the paravertebral muscles, even in the absence of corrective exercise: a system that can also be remotely controlled by the orthopedic doctor to monitor patient usage.

Amélie – Eye tracking Suite, presented by the pedagogue Samantha Giannatiempo, is the result of collaboration between the AIRETT center in Verona and a team of therapists and engineers specialized in Rett Syndrome, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects girls, gradually causing loss of linguistic and motor skills. Amélie promotes communication and understanding between caregivers and young patients, who can interact and play solely by moving their eyes, thanks to software connecting computers, smartphones, and an online platform designed for remote supervision by therapists and scientific data collection. AIRETT combines rehabilitation with research, as it is the latter that provides the necessary evidence to conceive, propose, and structure new research.

Both solutions not only have the potential to assist people in their daily lives but, through data collection, provide important insights for the research and understanding of related pathologies. Frida and Amelie will also receive support from Make to Care partners for the further development, implementation, and scalability of their projects and participate in a training and networking journey in an internationally recognized tech valley.

 

>>> winners of past editions