Sustainable Development of Neurofeedback Device

Sammanfattning: Mendi (Mendi, 2020) is a company founded to provide accessibility of brain enhancement training to the ordinary citizen, they reside in Stockholm, Sweden. The Mendi brain training headset has been developed to aid users using neurofeedback. This technology allows for display of brain activity in real-time, and the implementation of the Mendi headset is meant to teach the user how to better regulate their brain activity. With the possibility to start sustainable design in conjunction with the market release of the product, this project was initiated to serve the future progress of sustainable development. The work conducted in this paper is based on development methods used to assess the current state of the product as well as the phases of the product life cycle in which sustainable solutions can be applied. The methods used are life cycle assessment, material research and analysis, design for disassembly, assessment of production and use, market research of similar products, and research literature on modern methodology in sustainable design. Quantitative assessment was created through comparative analysis using the program CES EduPack (Granta Design, 2019), where data of the current product is used as a reference throughout. This is combined with research findings of best practice in sustainable development of products; tools used in the development contained concept generation in the form of sketching, CAD, and 3D printing. The result is described quantitatively in the parts where data has been available, it is also presented through life cycle scenarios, giving examples from assumptions based on research of empirical studies and results from design methods used throughout. The result present scenarios of a redesigned product and how this differ from the existing prototype in the form of economic and, environmental sustainability. The final concept was created through guidelines of eco design, built around the previous work of the product for plausible implementation in upcoming development. The product uses snap-fits to enable disassembly, press-fit to avoid any mixing of materials, has reduced amount of materials and contains materials that lower the life cycle CO2 emission and energy use. Economic factors are similarly assessed, quantitative analysis of life cycle costs combined with assumption driven scenarios showing potential gains and losses that could occur from said changes. Combined, the results are meant to work as a guideline for any future endeavors made in the field of sustainable development by Mendi and their partners.