Case Study: Design that Matters achieves life‑saving newborn care and rapid diagnostics in developing nations with SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS-Designed Technology Comes to the Rescue of Children in Developing Nations

Design that Matters, a non-profit design company, works to reduce newborn and child mortality in resource‑limited settings where electricity, refrigeration and trained clinicians are scarce. Facing high rates of treatable conditions like jaundice and pneumonia, the organization used SolidWorks software to design low‑cost, portable medical devices such as the Firefly Infant Phototherapy unit and the Pelican Pulse Oximeter.

SolidWorks enabled rapid digital visualization and iterative design, helping Design that Matters bring practical, field‑ready products to market. The Firefly has already treated over 6,000 newborns, and the organization expects to distribute at least 1,000 devices this year—potentially reaching more than 500,000 newborns—while the Pelican oximeter helps community health workers identify pneumonia cases earlier; SolidWorks’ tools were key to these measurable impacts.

Design that Matters