Client: VU Hospital and Medical College, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Master's Semester Project ; February - June 2009
About Project: "Spirit": It is an intrauterine insemination device for women. The device minimizes human skill factors in the procedure and standardizes it. Thus it gives higher possibility of a new life to be bestowed upon the women. Hence it is the harbinger of hope and spirit.
Current Scenario: Currently a syringe with a long catheter is used for the purpose. The doctors are of the opinion that the insemination process should be slow to be successful and painless. But as the syringe is manually operated, the entire procedure is dependent on the skill of the doctor. Hence the project was initiated to eliminate the human factor.
Usage: It is a mechanically operated device. Use of electrical components would result in EMC interference while storing the equipment along with other medical instruments. Also a mechanical device is more environment friendly. It can be set at three different speeds and used for research purposes to determine the most optimum speed. It combines a precision grip and a force grip in the same device as shown in the image.
About the Product: A mechanical spring operated mechanism was developed which has been proposed for a patent. While sucking semen in, the device would store energy from the scrolling action which is released with the release button when required. It has safety features to prevent accidental change of speed, auto-release of semen and possibility to stop the injection if the woman is getting cramps.
