To start day 9 in Bilbao, we visited a research lab at the University of the Basque Country’s School of Engineering. Here, they focus on sensor devices instead of the assistance devices that we have seen so far. One of their current designs is a crutch than can detect that in the event someone falls, if they fell with the crutch or without it. They also had a design for an improved wheelchair and an app that monitors movement points of the body.

We then broke into groups to work on a combination engineering and nursing project that address common issues that professionals and patients face in hospitals every day. My group’s issue was the loss of dignity during defecation. Although this is not the most glorious issue, it is extremely important to address for both patients and nurses. For patients, the use of a bedpan is both uncomfortable and demeaning since it must be placed underneath them by nurses and then removed. The patient must then be cleaned, so it is an intensive process that causes patients to feel like a child or object. For nurses, assisting patients with using a bedpan is very labor intensive, especially if the patient is entirely immobile or has something like a spinal cord injury.

With all of this considered, we designed an improved hospital bed that would allow patients more autonomy with using the restroom. We designed a bed that has an opening section that would reveal a toilet of sorts underneath. It would also feature a bidet so the patient would not have to be cleaned. This project gave me so much more insight into the daily lives of nurses and the struggles they face and gave me inspiration to make their jobs easier.

Following our design workshop, we visited the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. The museum featured many classic art pieces as well as more modern pieces. My favorite piece of art was the painting that is the earliest depiction of Bilbao and came from the 1800s! Following our visit, we decided to do some shopping nearby and ended our night with dinner and good company.