Secure Medical Port For Bag-free Ostomy Care Wins 2023 U.S.A. James Dyson Award

CHICAGO – September 13, 2023 – The U.S.A. James Dyson Award winner, Charlotte Böhning, created the Gutsy port – a secure custom-fit port that can be worn over the stoma, providing ostomates with the ability to regulate waste flow for extended periods. Ostomates have minimal control over their stoma, as waste is discharged spontaneously into the external bag. With the Gutsy port, Böhning aims to reshape the landscape of ostomy care, ensuring individuals enjoy enhanced quality of life and independence.

The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. Each year a national winner is selected and receives a cash prize. In addition, runner ups are named, and all three inventions move to the next round of the award to be considered for the top 20 list comprised of the best inventions around the world.

The Problem

Imagine a life where a plastic bag is a permanent fixture on your body – present during sleep, exercise, work, and even first dates. This is the reality faced by many ostomates, individuals who have undergone ostomy surgery. This transformative procedure alters how the body expels intestinal contents, often necessary when the bowel is diseased, injured, or absent. Surgeons create an opening, known as a stoma, connecting the intestine to the abdomen's exterior, with waste being collected by an external ostomy bag.

The Solution

Böhning invented the Gutsy port, a ground-breaking medical port that pioneers the next era in ostomy care, enhancing the daily lives of ostomates. Gutsy is designed to:

• Enable ostomates autonomy and control.
• Provide a greater sense of continence.
• Serve as an artificial sphincter.
• Allow bag-free moments.

The idea for the Gutsy port started as a conversation between friends. Böhning was inspired after a conversation with her close friend Grace Matelich, who received a life-saving surgery at 26 and has been living as an ostomate for roughly six years. Through the conversation, Böhning learned some of the daily challenges ostomates encounter. “The Gutsy port solves some of the problems that ostomates face while being more of a prosthetic-like device,” Böhning said. “It’s a port that you can wear directly over your stoma, and it bypasses the need for the bag for periods of time throughout the day.”

The process of creating the Gutsy port took two years and included more than 65+ prototypes and extensive interviews with ostomates around the world, from Wales to Scotland to Alaska. Böhning also conducted ethnographic research, ephemera collection, immersive bodystorming and interactive prototyping. As part of Böhning’s extensive work, she also consulted with Dr. Alessio Pagazzi, the Chief of Colorectal Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center, to help take her designs to the next level.

“I would visit the hospital with my prototypes, and Dr. Pagazzi would pour over them giving his expertise,” Böhning said. “It was through that relationship that I realized the Gutsy port could have a global impact in people’s lives.”

The Design

During the initial stages of designing the Gutsy port that Böhning discovered the challenges with the existing ostomy bag by wearing one herself. It was ill-fitting, single use, and prone to odor.

Initially, Böhning focused her design efforts on how to make the traditional ostomy bag better. However, she quickly realized her thinking was being confined by the bag. Böhning’s partnership with Dr. Pigazzi enabled her to think of ostomy products as personalized prosthetics rather than accessories. Böhning shifted her thinking by analyzing precedents like diabetes ports, tracheostomy devices, and cochlear implants to create the first prototype of the Gutsy port.

The Gutsy port is made of a durable and washable material and users can choose a color preference, from skin tones to bright colors. The Gutsy port can be shown off or used more discreetly under clothing. Users will feel a slight pressure when the port needs to be emptied, just like non-ostomates feel when they need to use the restroom. The Gutsy port can be opened and emptied into the toilet using built-in foldable bumpers that streamline waste. If needed, users can use an auxiliary flushable funnel to prevent spills.

About the Inventor

Böhning was born and raised in and around New York City. Growing up, Böhning always dreamed of being an inventor and would make toys for herself. Continuing that passion for inventing through young adulthood, Böhning took design classes in the evening and over the summer.

Raised by an economist and a painter, Böhning’s upbringing influenced her interests in both economics and art, ultimately inspiring her to major in Economics and minor in Journalism and Art History at Georgetown University. “I was always someone who was equal parts left and right-brain,” Böhning said. “I always had trouble deciding what I wanted to focus on.”

Following undergrad, Böhning decided to combine her interest in design, with her passion for helping others, to pursue a career in Industrial Design. Böhning graduated from the Pratt Institute School of Design with a Master of Industrial Design in May 2023. Böhning is currently a Design Strategist at Perkins Eastman and hopes to continue to foster her passion for design. “My mission as a designer is to improve the lives of people and to help the planet in the process,” Böhning said.

What’s Next for the Gutsy port

Böhning plans to use the £5,000 (approx. $6,200) prize to take steps to make the Gutsy port a tangible reality. She has a provisional patent and intends to acquire a permanent one, as well as continue her partnership and collaboration with Dr. Pigazzi. Ultimately, Böhning dreams of getting Gutsy into the hands of the 14 million ostomates around the globe.

U.S. James Dyson Awards 2023 - Runners Up

Lunet

• Problem: Nearly one million people have fingers amputated every year. Injury, infections, and disease are the most common causes, and are especially prevalent in economically disadvantaged parts of the world. Currently, only a few small companies produce mechanical finger prostheses, which are costly and take weeks to produce – making it difficult for most amputees to obtain.
• Solution: Lunet is a low-cost, fully 3D printable, modular finger prosthesis designed to provide millions of finger amputees around the world with an accessible prosthesis solution.
• About the Inventor: David Edquilang, is an award-winning industrial designer and recent graduate of the University of Houston. David brought his education background in both engineering and medicine to his industrial design work, designing medical devices that solve real problems. To learn more about Lunet, visit the website here.

Cellsense

• Problem: After observing the environmental and human impact of the fast fashion industry in Gujarat, India, the team of inventors recognized the need for sustainable alternatives. In addition to craftspeople being neglected by the industry, their creations being disposed after a single use, and their health being at risk due to continual exposure to hazardous chemicals – global plastic pollution from discarded microbeads was an additional concern. This inspired the inventors to create Cellsense, a comprehensive solution that reimagines the production, use, and disposal of embellishments.
• Solution: Cellsense utilizes algae and regenerated cellulose to develop interactive embellishments that create new possibilities for designers while eliminating microplastics and unethical labor practices.
• About the Inventors: Aradhita Parasrampuria, Stefan Colton, and J Sebastian Garcia Medina met at Genspace in New York City, a community bio lab, and started collaborating on Cellsense. To learn more about Cellsense, visit the website here.

All three inventions will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award. The International shortlist will be announced on October 18 and the International winners on November 15.