Select Page

Phononic Evolve Medical Refrigeration – 2015

Phononic engineers developed a revolutionary solid-state heat pump technology called SilverCore that provides efficient cooling capability in a package that’s dramatically smaller and quieter than traditional compressor technologies. Phononic came to our design team for help bringing this new technology to a product space that would greatly benefit from the technical advances: medical refrigeration. The Evolve 5.5-liter refrigerator is designed to accommodate both under-counter and free-standing use in medical lab and patient care environments. The cooling system operates at under 35 dBA, coming in far below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of a 40 dBA noise level in patient areas.

Knowing that this unit would be used in patient environments, we developed a design that feels more like a consumer product than lab equipment while still conveying a sense of precision and an emphasis on performance. The SilverCore cooling system has unique airflow characteristics that allowed us to eliminate the large air intake vent found on the bottom of most refrigerators. We designed an air exchange scoop above the door and used Evolve’s brand color to reference the differentiating technology within.
A large color touch screen shows the temperature at all times and makes it easy to access settings such as user-access control, data logging, and alarms. The interface makes it easy to monitor the unit and ensure whatever is being refrigerated is kept in a usable state. We helped Phononic define the software’s architecture and visual design through a series of wireframes and mockups, eventually delivering pixel-perfect UI assets for Phononic’s team of software developers.
While traditional compressor-based refrigerators undergo temperature fluctuations as the compressor kicks on and off, the solid-state cooling system in the Evolve line can maintain a constant temperature within 0.5 degrees Celsius of a set value. Many medications and vaccines must be kept within a narrow temperature range to remain stable, so allowing easy temperature monitoring was our top priority when building the interface; the current temperature is always visible on the screen, and colors convey safety and alarm states at a glance.

A large color touch screen shows the temperature at all times and makes it easy to access settings such as user-access control, data logging, and alarms. The interface makes it easy to monitor the unit temperature with a glance. We helped Phononic define the software’s architecture and visual design through a series of wireframes and mockups, eventually delivering UI assets for implementation by Phononic’s team of software developers.

While traditional compressor-based refrigerators undergo temperature fluctuations as the compressor kicks on and off, the solid-state cooling system in the Evolve line can maintain a constant temperature within 0.5 degrees Celsius of a set value. Many medications and vaccines must be kept within a narrow temperature range to remain stable, so clarity of the UI/UX was paramount. The current temperature is always visible on the screen, and colors quickly convey safety and alarm states.

Phononic’s compact cooling technologies allowed us to expand the internal volume, creating 5.5 liters of capacity where traditional refrigerators of this size have a volume of 4.5 liters. We also explored new shelving system designs and interior lighting solutions. As a result of the comprehensive development collaboration between our team and Phononic, the Evolve Undercounter Medical Refrigerator is a quiet, efficient, and spacious refrigeration unit that uses solid-state heat pump technology to deliver cooling capacity where accuracy, security, and reliability are critical.