
Dec 11, 2015
By Chris Wiltz, Design News IKEA has become the go-to brand for what are essentially LEGOs for adults — modular, customizable furniture that’s affordable, easy-to-build, and with a name that’s impossible to pronounce. There are whole websites devoted to clever tricks to reconfigure IKEA’s furniture. Buried at the core of IKEA is the idea of modular design — creating products comprised of individual units, or modules, rather than as a whole. When done right, the end result is a product that can be repaired, reused, and re-designed with much less effort. Writing for our sister publication MD+DI, Nigel Syrotuck, a mechanical engineer at StarFish Medical, a medical device design company based in British Columbia, argues for the medical device space in particular, but all of traditional engineering and manufacturing might do well to adopt the philosophy of the Swedish furniture company. Syrotuck writes: “In medical devices, we have one main reason to use a modular design: the ability to reuse approved components in multiple products. Testing is cumbersome in medicine, for obvious reasons, but reusing an approved power module in a few different devices leads to a safer product with an extensive history and saves cost and time in development.” He cites several advantages to modular design: faster assembly, easier maintenance and testing, and improved product longevity. There are also technological advantages, especially when it comes to upgrading products. Rather than having to purchase a whole new device when the current model becomes obsolete (yes, we’re looking at you Apple), a modular design needs only for the outdated part to be replaced. And, because the modules have been used before, they can be characterized, more reliable, and more predictable. Of course there are downsides as well including higher initial design costs and expensive connectors (a key component of any modular device). There are also aesthetic considerations for designers since modules are best done in blocks, squares, and rectangles — not always the best design course, particularly when safety or other considerations would require a product not to have sharp, ridged edges. Still, more and more technology companies are starting to embrace the idea. Google’s modular cellphone, currently dubbed Project Ara, is probably the most prominent example to date. The...