From University to Innovation:

Florence Mitchell, the latest addition to Shoplight’s lighting design team, graduated from Falmouth University last year with a degree in Sustainable Product Design, where she created Olly the Octopus. This course strongly emphasises and encourages students to ‘design for good,’ making Shoplight a great post-university fit for Florence.

In December, BBC Cornwall invited Florence to speak live on the radio about her third-year project!

Finding a sustainable solution to a problem

During the interview, Florence discussed how she discovered a love for medical design in her second year of university. This worked out well for Florence as Falmouth University had a connection with the Royal Cornwall Hospital, which creates blocks of Sterimelt – a material made on-site from melted-down polypropylene gowns.

Seeking a meaningful use for the Sterimelt, Royal Cornwall tasked Florence with developing a circular system within the hospital. They wanted to produce a useful product from the Sterimelt which was being created without a clear purpose.

To create a product, Florence needed a problem. Florence, wearing her investigative hat, interviewed hospital staff and discovered that they discard broken IV poles, which end up in landfills—a familiar concept to the Shoplight team. This led to the creation of Olly the Octopus, a child-friendly IV pole.

The Creation of Olly the Octopus

Florence developed Olly as a sustainable alternative to existing metal IV poles. Key features include full disassembly and repair in the hospital, user-friendly functionality for staff, and the capacity to hold three times more weight than current IV hooks.

However, Olly offers even more! Florence brought him to life by developing an app that allows patients to interact with him. The app includes features for tracking mood, medication reminders, and even playing games with the colourful character. Additionally, Florence added an element for parents to log in and see how their child is feeling, providing reassurance as they monitored their child’s treatment progress. <p>

The decision to make Olly an octopus wasn’t an accident. Florence chose this sea creature for several reasons.

Cornwall’s proximity to the sea and each tentacle represent a core value of the NHS along with the two sustainability goals she aimed to achieve – Industry, innovation and infrastructure and Responsible consumption and production, inspired by the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

And because octopuses have three hearts – who knew?!! Olly made a fitting mascot for the hospital, sharing the same heart for their patients.

The Next Steps

Since joining Shoplight, Florence has explored lighting design. She has been learning 3D printing methods and circular design in our biopolymer lighting range.

Olly is currently made from approximately 80 melted-down polypropylene gowns mixed with 50% virgin plastic. She aims to improve this composition.

We hope Florence’s experience at Shoplight helps improve Olly the Octopus’s design and manufacturing methods. This will bring him to more hospitals, benefiting people and the planet.