Designer Jed Aylmer designs the Symba pediatric hospital bed, which is made entirely out of plastic. Photo: Supplied.
PARKTOWN – University of Johannesburg industrial design graduate Jed Aylmer’s brilliance was acknowledged at the recent launch of the Parktown-based Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital after he designed an innovative, colourful plastic bed.
Aylmer named the paediatric hospital bed, Symba, which was inspired by a character in the book Nelson Mandela’s Favourite African Folktales.
The design graduate was brought up in a creative family, with both parents being creatives. Growing up in this environment brought out Alymer’s artistic ability.
“I followed [the hospital] on an architecture blog and approached them to assist me with some research questions. When the project was completed, I went to the hospital’s to show them my design and small prototype,” said Aylmer.
Designer Jed Aylmer’s creativity has inspired him to make a difference in the lives of Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital patients. Photo: Supplied.
He continued, “They saw the result and very excitedly asked if I could make this real. I accepted the challenge as they had accepted a mandate from Nelson Mandela to build the hospital, and the dream began to turn into reality.”
His inspiration came after visiting Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Newclare to do clinical research. While the hospital’s head of paediatrics was showing him around, Aylmer noticed that the baby cots in the wards looked like cages. On further inquiry, he was told the design had always been like that.
“I think the challenge of redefining the cot, introducing new and intelligent features, spurred me toward the bed. It was a two-fold feeling of being able to inject innovation into a product that is used every day by medical professionals and parents, but also bettering the environment in which the child recovers in. It was about more than just the features. It was making a product that feels good and perhaps helps children recover quicker.”
The talented designer is always checking out new designs, architecture blogs, poster designs, products on shelves, TV adverts and exhibitions. He advised budding designers, when they succeed, to never forget what inspired them in the first place.
“It is a challenging road: sculpting and extracting this rough idea from your head. But there’s something magical about that moment when you see it in front of you and realise what you have done to help someone else. Accept new challenges, push the norms and enjoy the process.”
