Myra: When design potentially saves lives

Can industrial design be as pleasing to the eye as it is ergonomic, functional and optimised for production? The answer is yes. Since 1976, Myra Industrial Design has been pushing the boundaries for design and functionality.

Although a nice side effect, racking up design awards – and they have a fair few –is not why they do it. CEO Jon-Karl Sundh is slightly modest when he describes Myra Industrial Design as a “small and flexible organisation”. It may be a closely-knit company, but their ambitions are far greater than simply producing a good product.

“About half of what we do in terms of time is in MedTech,” says Sundh. “That includes anaesthesia machines, laboratory equipment and technical medical products. But it can also be professional battery chargers, product design guides or cranes for lorries; it varies a lot.”

A project Myra is particularly proud of is a collaboration with DRW, Diagnostics for the Real World. “It’s an HIV analysing instrument that gives a result very quickly,” Sundh explains. “The main use is for the developing countries, making it possible to test in remote areas. Thanks to its ability to give quick and accurate results, users are able to respond with the best recourses as soon as possible. And this product has even been used during COVID-19: in essence it’s a pipetting robot, for analysing samples.”

Another interesting product and potential lifesaver is a device that will be found in conjunction with cardiac starters, placed in public spaces. “It’s a new type of device with a direct link to doctors, straight from a trauma scene,” says Sundh. “They’ll receive the patient’s status and values before the patient comes in and will be able to prepare accordingly. This is a project where we’ve worked with the digital interface, the technology behind it and the hardware. It is vital that everything coincides, is durable and easy to use. In medicine, everything needs to be very straight-forward, as you may only get one chance to understand how to use it.”

When a project comes together from start to finish, with all the ingredients – user friendly, smart looking and functional – they know they’ve done a good job.

“There is a common denominator in all our projects,” adds Sundh. “They are clean and uncomplicated and self-evident in their handling; that’s how I would describe our philosophy. All of our projects are unique, and our job is to optimise the products based on the user, the market and the company behind the product. This might sound like a cliché, but the end user is always at the centre of our projects.”

Contura is one of Myra’s long-term clients. Their collaboration has resulted in stylish, easy-to-use and well-integrated stoves for the home environment for customers all over Europe.

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