From Concept to Product: Design and Development

[July 15, 2026]

From Concept to Product: Developing the Overhead Arm Support MR-Safe Design and Development

Every product at Adept Medical has an origin story, shaped by creativity, experimentation, and valuable feedback. Our designs are developed through collaborative phases of envisioning, testing, and refining to meet the needs of patients and clinicians alike. The Overhead Arm Support MR-Safe followed this same path, beginning its design journey looking quite different from its current form.

Design Requirements

The project began following requests raised during SIR meetings for a patient positioning device with specific requirements:

• Safely lift one or two arms from an adducted position
• Avoid extreme shoulder flexion
• Accommodate a wide range of patient sizes and body shapes
• Integrate with existing laboratories and imaging systems
• Avoid image artefacts or magnetic hazards

Early Concepts and Testing

Our designers needed to find a balance between mechanical complexity, intuitive set-up and use, and compatibility with biocompatible materials. Adept Medical developed several early concepts for an overhead arm support for interventional procedures, offering an alternative to the common practice of using towels, pillows and tape, which often require adjustment.

The initial concepts included:

• A multi-swivel support with non-pivoting soft cups
• A multi-swivel support with pivoting soft cups
• A fixed wing support
• A double telescopic leg support

These concepts explored different ways to meet the design requirements. A pivoting cup offered more flexibility, but less stability. A fixed cup provided stability but did not support the forearms. The double telescopic leg gave insight into support and adjustability. The fixed wing offered simplicity, stability, and support, and was the most intuitive to use.

Clinical Feedback and Refinement

A critical aspect of the design process was gathering meaningful feedback on each concept. Key considerations included patient comfort, ease of setup and cleaning, and adaptability within clinical environments and across clinician preferences.

Adept Medical’s team provided an ideal environment for early testing across a wide range of body sizes, shapes, and personal preferences. Some preferred the movement of the pivoting cups, which gave them freedom to find a comfortable position themselves, whereas others felt unsupported. Many found that the fixed wing guided and supported their arms, although varying forearm lengths impacted comfort. Based on this feedback, the fixed cup design and the fixed wing support were selected for further development.
Direct feedback from nurses and clinicians in lab environments was also critical. Concepts were evaluated alongside imaging systems and clinical workflows, allowing clinicians to assess how each option would perform in practice. Clinicians appreciated the simplicity and intuitiveness of the fixed wing.

Direct feedback from nurses and clinicians in lab environments was also critical. Concepts were evaluated alongside imaging systems and clinical workflows, allowing clinicians to assess how each option would perform in practice. Clinicians appreciated the simplicity and intuitiveness of the fixed wing.

Further feedback highlighted the value of incorporating straps, particularly for patients under anaesthesia or experiencing discomfort, and to minimise the risk of arm movement during imaging. One clinician noted that the design had the potential to become “standard practice for all CT labs,” reinforcing confidence in the design direction.

Final Design

This combination of internal testing and clinical feedback was significant in shaping the final design of the Overhead Arm Support MR-Safe. The result is an ergonomic alternative to towels and pillows, providing a fixed, reliable solution for arm positioning during interventional procedures.

At Adept Medical, we continue to collaborate with clinicians and gather feedback for the development of new products and the ongoing improvement of existing ones, focusing on practical and effective solutions.