Project: CAREBRO

“Negotica Development Project is a Dutch Company that deals with new technologies to improve everyday life of people. The scientific research for this special project Carebro was done by a team from the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences of the university of Groningen, the pilot run by De Noorderbrug, a healthcare organization, specialized in people who need care 24/7, in this case who were paralyzed from head to toe. Carebro is an open connectivity platform that allows to connect to any kind of equipment or standard. The technicians of Negotica got in touch with paralyzed people for the first time in their lives and experienced the collaboration as something extraordinary. The sharing of knowledge between patients, carers, technicians and scientists was a source of great inspiration and led to various new insights for all the parties. Carebro definitely induced another way of thinking and helped changing everyday life for the patients in an unexpected way. Open systems and connecting people has become the motto of the company, which has proven that working across boundaries in terms of organizations, people, and disciplines leads to results everybody involved can benefit from.”
Jury Member: Angelica Kaus, University of Groningen, Netherlands

“The Carebro Project put forth by Negotica Development Project/ Lediy Studio Agency and the University of Groningen as well as De Noorderbrug aims at developing a solution to control the living environment by human brain for people paralyzed from the neck down. The innovation process led to an open connectivity platform that allows connecting the human brain to any type of equipment or standard, exceeding the boundaries of an incremental innovation.

Remarkable positive aspects of this project are:

• Bringing together science with the needs of the physically challenged
• Focus on everyday applicability and simplicity => Might be making a huge impact in the future
• Open connectivity platform invites developers to participate; possible multiplication of Carebro Project outcome
• Selling point: Serious solution combined with entertainment
• Actively sought to work with physically challenged people, using their experience to improve the connectivity platform incorporating their interests and special needs => shows a high degree of mutual respect, tolerance and trust
• Strong shared creative vision, pursued perseveringly

Successfully communicated the project to influential TV stations, good PR skills.”
Jury Member: Christian Horneber, Researcher in Entrepreneurial Creativity, Oldenburg, Germany

Describe your collaborative partnership

Imagine our Estate of the Future in Groningen. It is a living lab that acts most of the time like a rainbow, combined with a professional photo studio where you can lounge on giant balls.

Here we develop interactive technology and combine it with professional photography and design. We are Negotica Development Projects and Lediy Studio Agency. What we do? We think, collaborate and create!

In 2009 Negotica Development Projects started project Carebro. With our partners the University of Groningen and De Noorderbrug, we developed a solution to control the living environment by human brain (end 2010). If you try it, you will find out that it is user friendly, affordable, smart and easy.

The University of Groningen provided us with valuable insights and lend us their equipment. We made ourselves a serious game. Then we went to care organization De Noorderbrug and they gave us access to the people that really could benefit from our work. People who are paralyzed from the neck down.

Provide evidence of your success

We found out that there is more to discover than connecting the smart building to the brain. The key technology behind project Carebro is an open connectivity platform that allows us to connect to any type of equipment or standard.

We visited many people to seek out what they thought was important. It appeared that project Carebro was not only about connecting devices but also about connecting people. That is why we gave project Carebro the motto “Connecting Worlds”.

The technology that project Carebro brings is instantly accepted by audiences as a serious solution with endless possibilities. Also people find it highly entertaining. We believe we chose well when we went for the combination of gaming and healthcare.

We got nominated for different awards. We appeared on Dutch television and on National Geographic. We entered the Dutch MKB Innovation Top 100 on position 46. And in 2011 we got into the finals of the “jonge ondernemersprijs” which stands for best young entrepreneur.

Thanks to the research of the University of Groningen, that flowed into the project, we performed as we did. Also really important is our collaboration with the people of De Noorderbrug.

These people, who are in need of care 24/7, helped us! We discovered that the words “I need you” have great power. Experiencing this made this collaboration extraordinary.

Everyone has limitations. Sometimes there is too much distance to understand what is really going on. In project Carebro knowledge was shared because of our vision of open systems and connecting people. We worked together, creating value and inspiration.

Now brain power in Project Carebro will enter the next level. We are going to shift from independence and self care to self development. The principal researcher from the university will be working for Negotica and the University of Groningen will join us again and so are the people from De Noorderbrug.

“Surely the best collaboration is the next collaboration”.

www.carebro.nl

• Studio / Agency: www.negotica.net
• Client: www.rug.nl / www.noorderbrug.nl
• Presentation:  CAREBRO (19.4 MB)