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The saga of LifeInABox- Creating a perfect product

The greatest inventions are often born out of simple necessity. Who would have an idea as absurd as making a fridge just to carry medication? It took a particular set of circumstances, linking technical knowhow, a personal need, and a heat wave to make it possible.

Everything begins in France in 2016. Mr. Uwe DIEGEL, managing director of a medical business in Paris is expecting the visit from New Zealand of his diabetic brother, Dr. Olaf Diegel. The two men have already built strong international reputations in the field of industrial design and healthcare and quite often work together on new research projects. Olaf, diabetic since the age of 17, is professor of industrial design at the Auckland Technology University. His job forces him to travel a lot to take part in international congresses. He is a well-versed traveler and is used to travelling with his insulin and keeping it cool using iceboxes and cooler bags (insulin, like many other medications, is sensitive to heat and should be stored at a temperature between 2 and 8°C).

Olaf books himself into a small hotel near Auxerres in France. When he arrives at the hotel, he notices that there is no fridge in his hotel room (even though he had particularly insisted on this when making his booking). He needs a fridge to store his insulin. So he arranges with the clerk at the entrance desk to keep his insulin in the fridge in the kitchen.
Olaf does not speak French, coming from New Zealand. A few hours later, Olaf needs his insulin and goes down to reception to ask for it, only to discover that it was placed in the freezer by accident by someone in the kitchen. He is thus obliged to have the night pharmacy opened just to get some fresh insulin. Luckily, the problem is resolved easily enough thanks to the wonderful efficiency of the French pharmacy system.

Back in Paris, Olaf meets is brother and they discuss the events. They decide to design the idea of a portable fridge that would use a Peltier Effect to create cold without gas or moving parts. On paper, the idea should in theory work, so they decide to make a rough prototype using whatever they had available at the time (the battery was stolen from Uwe’s video camera).
The prototype actually works quite well, so the two brothers decide to start the Lifeina company.

Today, we are proud to announce the launch of LifeinaBox, a device that will revolutionize the transport of medication worldwide. LifeinaBox, the world’s smallest fridge, is the culmination of many years of research to produce a universal solution that will allow users to travel any place, any time, knowing that their medication is kept at exactly the right temperature. Suitable for any heat-sensitive medication such as insulin, growth hormones, arthritis or multiple sclerosis medications, it allows users the freedom to travel anywhere, anytime, knowing that their medication is kept at exactly the right temperature.