The Delphi Screener has received a Special Award for Ergonomic Excellence at the award show of the Dutch Good Industrial Design competition (GIO).

The product was developed in a unique co-design cooperation between three very diverse partners: Delphi as owner, Helvoet (former Rosti) as mechanical and manufacturing developer and Van Berlo Design Studio (in Eindhoven) as designer of the product.

The origin of Delphi’s screener lay in a biomedical invention which offers women an alternative to the current screening methods for cervical cancer which are often perceived as unpleasant and inconvenient. To take a sample with the Delphi Screener no speculum is needed and the sample is very reliable for testing. Due to disadvantages of current screening methods, many women are not screened as they deny the pap smear. The Screener will give new groups access to reliable screening. The idea behind the Delphi screener is simple. Rather than taking a sample of cells from the cervix by scraping, Delphi’s screener injects a small amount fluid into the vagina near the cervix (a lavage) and retrieves it again a few seconds later. The method is exclusively a-traumatic collection. Enough cells are collected to make a DNA molecular diagnostic of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus – the cause of cervical cancer) test possible. The Screener can be used by doctors and women in the clinic, or in a home setting. Samples can be sent to the laboratory.

As with any self-collection test, the challenges in the design of the Delphi screener were to create a product that is both first-time-right in use, and to give that product a look that expresses comfort and safety. The result of much sketching, model making and handling tests was a sleek, integrated shape that is immediately understood by users. When the screener is held by the thumb grip, it is remarkably easy to use.

The award is a fantastic recognition of the revolutionary character of the product, and the effort that went into designing a truly user-friendly product.

User tests have turned out very favorable, and the Screener is now available in various countries.