Category: News

Design 1st 2025: Year in Review

Design 1st 2025 Year in Review

Design 1st enters its 30th year off the back of its strongest year on record, with 103 products across 16 industries and 41 new clients from North America to Australia.

In 2025, Design 1st delivered 103 products across 16 industries for clients ranging from early-stage startups to established OEMs on six continents. The project mix reflected the full scope of what we do: consumer electronics, industrial equipment, medical devices, health and wellness, cleantech, robotics, and more.

The year brought products from concept to factory floor. SwabBot, a cobot for pharmaceutical tank cleaning, moved into production. Groove Thing went from a garage idea and a successful Kickstarter campaign to volume manufacturing. BlueKit, an IoT education platform, shipped after two years of development. And in the lab, we’re still pushing boundaries with a medical device that uses wireless power to charge an implant inside the human body.

Design 1st 2025 Company Highlights:

  • 103 products across 16 industries, meaning whatever you’re building, we’ve probably solved a similar problem before
  • 134 prototypes shipped out the door, not stuck in CAD
  • 41 new clients trusted us with their products this year
  • 34 in-house staff covering industrial design, mechanical, electronics, firmware, and manufacturing support
  • 4.8 stars on Clutch from clients who’ve been through it with us
  • 3 design awards

Infographics: Design project and company accomplishments in 2025

Trends and Takeaways from 2025

Three patterns showed up across 103 hardware projects this year:

  • Integration wins. AI wearables, connected medical devices, and IoT platforms dominated the mix. These products need firmware, electronics, and mechanical working together from day one, not stitched together at the end.
  • Manufacturing-first thinking. SwabBot, Groove Thing, and BlueKit all made it to production because factory floor realities shaped the design early, not after the prototype worked.
  • Cross-industry problem solving. Sensor tech from mining ends up in medical devices. Power management from cleantech solves wearables challenges. Sixteen industries worth of experience means faster solutions.

Planning a 2026 product launch? Integrate your disciplines early, design for manufacturing before you’re married to your prototype, and find a partner who’s solved similar hardware problems before.

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

More Related Resources

Published on: January 15, 2026

Design 1st 2023 Year in Review

Design 1st 2023 Year in Review

Design 1st Completes a Successful 2023 Amidst Economic Uncertainty

The product design and development experts identified AI integration, battery innovation, edge AI hardware, and product redesign as key trends heading into 2024

January, 2023 –  Design 1st, one of the most prolific full-service product design-engineering firms across North America, completed another successful year in 2023, closing the year with 84 unique physical products designed, 26 new customers ranging from entrepreneurs, startups, to corporate, 7 products brought to market, 3 industry awards, and 2 New Product Introduction (NPI) trips to China.

The trend of strong client rentention continued in 2023 with 70% of project revenue from existing clients. 

Explore the Design 1st accomplishments of 2023 in the infographic below. (click image to enlarge):

What-Did-We-Accomplish_2023
Growth Highlights from 2023
Projects-We-Designed_2023 copy
2023 Project Breakdown by Industry and Product Type
How-Did-We-Work_2023
Design 1st highlights by discipline
Design 1st Admin, IT, and Sales team highlights.

“These past few years have proved to be both dynamic and disruptive for the manufacturing industry,” said Kevin Bailey, CEO, Design 1st.

“Despite an unpredictable market our team at Design 1st has persevered through and positioned our clients for success during these times. We are excited for 2024, and look forward to reaching new heights.”

Project highlights for Design 1st in 2023 include:

  • 6 innovative AI Devices across consumer, medical, sports and commercial applications containing sensors and edge AI processors for on-device processing.
  • 4 projects involving electric bikes, fintech workstations, and solar charging. 
  • 4 innovative connected devices for the ‘Transport and Logistics’ industry to improve security, and safety when shipping goods.
  • 3 innovative hydroponic growing systems from unique clients across North America, hinting that the future of farming is upon us.
  • 3 Collaborative Robotics (CoBot) projects for commercial use helping human-led processes move faster, safer, and more predictable.


To learn more about Design 1st and past projects, please visit: https://portfolio.design1st.com/.

Explore Design 1st Highlights From Previous Years:

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: January 3, 2024

Design 1st – Color Teller Connects with Stevie Wonder

Design 1st – Color Teller Connects with Stevie Wonder

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

“As a messenger of peace I want to encourage countries throughout the world to find ways of subsidizing technology and ways of making the world more accessible to those with disabilities.” – Stevie Wonder

Advances in technology and innovative product development have made Stevie Wonder’s message of accessible technology for the disabled – a reality. Selective material sourcing, user-centric design methods and innovative technology have all been combined to produce useful and empowering devices for the impaired.

A recent 2010 NFL Superbowl Volkswagen commercial highlighted the latest advances in technology for the visually impaired. In the ad featuring Stevie Wonder, a variety of people in different driving situations are playing “Punch Buggy”, where the first person to see a Volkswagen playfully slugs his or her friend. The twist comes when Stevie Wonder correctly identifies the color of a nearby Jetta and slugs a surprised Tracy Morgan. To find out how Stevie did it, watch here:

“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”  
– Stevie Wonder

Brytech’s Color Teller˙ provided a substitute for Stevie Wonder’s vision in the commercial allowing him to accurately determine the color of the car through the push of a button. The “Color Teller” device announces colors, shades and whether a light is on or off to the user. Design 1st was the physical product design and development team behind the product, working closely with the electronics and business team at Brytech.

Working with the blind requires designing with your eyes closed. The Design 1st team had to think blind to come up with the shape of the object that deals with getting it out of a pocket or purse, tethering the product for security, comfort in the hands and simplicity of use. Simple can be the best thing ever for those with vision disabilities ˆ a must have. To come up with the right shape a dozen shapes from wallet rectangles to long tubes were created and reviewed with a group of blind volunteers. From this feedback the final shape was determined and the complex color measuring window was developed with keys, speaker and accessible battery door that could be used without sight. The Color Teller features a single button operation that never needs to be switched off, multiple language selections, different volume levels and a talking battery monitor. Buy one at www.brytech.com

We’re proud that our partnership with Brytech brought an innovative and highly useful product to market. A product that is being recognized for its vision.

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 20, 2023

New Way to Shovel Snow – Heatstone™

New Way to Shovel Snow – Heatstone™

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

Santa can bring you a new way to shovel snow off the walks – from your living room! Collaborating with the Design 1st team, a Toronto Inventor has been busy creating a new product for the northern markets where an aging population will experience more back injuries by snow shovelling walks and driveways.

Introducing HEATSTONE™ a new way to get rid of unwanted snow from your home, in the market since 2012!

heatstone winter snow melt

Consiglio, a Toronto based inventor, approached Design 1st with the idea to build outdoor radiant flooring with concrete patio stones.  Seeing an opportunity to increase winter safety, comfort and convenience Consiglio engaged with the Design 1st team and began the product development process. From the initial first meeting a year ago, to introducing the product to the marketplace, a creative engineering and design team was needed to work alongside Consiglio on his first journey as an inventor.

The first stage for a design team working with new ideas and inventions is simply to listen. From there we help determine all the things that are important to the success of the product.  Ol’ Saint Nick makes a list and checks it twice; the Design 1st team uses the same process when designing product concepts.  First we get creative, imagine possibilities and illustrate the concepts with sketches, images and models.  It is good practice to outline requirements that meet both our clients and their end customers’ needs. For Consiglio this included safety, ease of installation and maintenance of his radiant flooring concrete patio stones. Safety wise, the patio stones had to clear pathways of ice and snow while meeting reglatory compliance issues in North America.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

The patio stones will be selling in local commercial hardware stores so ease of installation was a must, as many clients would be building the outdoor radiant flooring themselves.  Winter seasons vary from one year to the next so maintenance and quality were also key design requirements.  No better walkway for ruggedness across the seasons than decorative concrete stone. All the electronics are well protected inside the stones so mother nature and garden tools cannot get  at them.

From there the Design 1st team creates 3D models of the concepts checking over the details and ensuring every surface, edge movement and feature is resolved with critical consideration of the product image, human interaction, materials and manufacturing requirements.

From idea to physical working models, once the technical details and product requirements are met, modelled and reviewed – the 3D virtual design concept is sent Santa’s workshop to be assembled into a working prototype.  In a similar fashion to Santa’s North Pole facilities Design 1st’ onsite workshop has all the tools to build technical products including CNC Machines, micro-saws, cutting machines, epoxies, batteries, bolts, wires, hardware and building materials of all sorts.

For Consiglio’s outdoor heated patio stones the prototyping process involved creating working concrete stone patio blocks that were tested, modified and delivered on the promise to melt the snow as it falls or even after it accumulates.  After some minor tweaks the new product introduction (NPI) phase commenced where the Design 1st engineering team documented every screw, part, assembly and surface treatment in preparation for manufacturing.

Now as Consiglio moves into production cycle the Design 1st acts as a guide helping provide manufacturing introduction, design support, quality control and identifying opportunities for cost savings as the product facilities make last minute improvements.  This holiday season when the snow begins to fall, ice begins to form and sleigh bells are ringing the gifts from Santa’s workshop will put a smile on children’s faces and patio stones designed in our workshop will put a smile on yours!

A joyous Christmas & a Prosperous New Year to All

~Design 1st staff

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 20, 2023

ING Robotic Aviation Read for Takeoff

ING Robotic Aviation Read for Takeoff

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

What happens when you combine robotics, airplanes and a dash of aesthetic mechanical innovation?

Well, with the right team and experience you may end up re-inventing aviation with unmanned aircraft that deliver airborne sensing solutions in the fields of surveying, environmental monitoring, and critical infrastructure inspecting.

ING Robotic Aviation’s Serenity UAV

ING Robotic Aviation is a Design 1st client whose disruptive aviation technology is shaking up industries and forcing operational change across the globe. The company has found the right mix of innovation, sensing solutions and aesthetic design that has allowed them to put the right information, into the right hands, at the right time. ING’s fixed-wing Serenity Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft was recently purchased by IFMS, a Chilean company to help fight forest fires. While ING’s rotary-wing, “Responder” UAV was purchased last week by a client for surveillance operations in East Africa.

ING Robotic Aviation’s Team with Responder UAV

To find out more about ING Robotic Aviation and how their technology is being used in multiple industries across the globe, checkout their webpage at www.ingrobotic.com.

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 20, 2023

Ottawa Personal Trainer with a Product Idea

Ottawa Personal Trainer with a Product Idea

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

After meeting Guy Murray for the first time you’re guaranteed to hear at least one product idea. ThOttawa personal trainer embodies the definition of an inventor and has used his ingenuity to create several products over the years.

In early 2010, Guy came up with one product idea he knew would take more than elbow grease to bring to life. After contacting several machine shops, engineers and prototype outfits he stumbled across Design 1st online.  Quickly a meeting was set up, budget identified and a team put in place. Over the next six months the design team moved Guy from Idea through to engineering and prototyping.

The results following the early stages of product development were a finalized concept, detailed design and a  CAD rendered video showcasing the new benchpress revolution called PowerPress:

This followed with a low volume production run of the PowerPress and various product trials. The most popular trial was at the 100% Raw Bench Press Provincials in Ottawa where the PowerPress was tried out by dozens of conditioned Powerlifters. The consensus — they loved it, PowerPress was a hit.

After product trials Guy took the feedback and put together a professional commercial video detailing the mechanics, technology and benefits of the PowerPress.

Now moving into 2014 Guy is nearing the end of the product design process and is preparing to sell and distribute the PowerPress. While currently a hit at his private gym, Studio Elite Fitness – Guy  is hoping other gyms’ will have a chance to reap the benefits of his innovation.

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 20, 2023

Nuvyyo – Client News Update

Nuvyyo – Client News Update

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

Recently named a 2014 Startup to Watch by the Ottawa Business Journal, Nuvyyo – one of our clients based here in the Ottawa area, are re-inventing the way we enjoy our tablet devices, by allowing people to stream their photos, videos, TV shows and movies on their personal devices no matter where they may be.

Nuvvyo was recently featured on CBC news to showcase to viewers how they are helping people everywhere cut the cord that ties us to local cable and satellite providers.

“It’s not just about the TV these days,” says NuvyyoCEO Grant Hall. “It’s really about whatever device you have and wherever you are, enabling you to enjoy that live and recorded programming wherever you want to.”

With our help, along with a few other suppliers, the Tablo is now testing over 60 units in Canada and the United States. Pre-Sales are soaring and the Tablo is set to ship next week to eagerly awaiting Cord Cutters.

Tablo is a system that plugs into an antenna and lets customers watch and record high-definition programming on their television or tablet – for free, so you can enjoy what you want, where you want, without being tied into contracts and spending the thousands of dollars most of us spend a year already on cable and/or satellite services.

Check-out this Video to see why the Tablo is attracting so much attention:

CEO Grant Hall says that Nuvyyo will likely focus its initial efforts on online retail sales before branching out to traditional retail shops. But with consumers continuing to drop their cable and satellite TV subscriptions in record the numbers the Tablo may be showing up on the shelves of Big Box stores sooner than later.

Nuvyyo was founded in 2010 and currently employs eleven full-time employees,  and three part-time, and are located in Kanata, Ontario.

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 20, 2023

Epiphan Systems Launches Cutting-Edge Video Technology

Epiphan Systems Launches Cutting-Edge Video Technology

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

We’ve had the pleasure of working alongside the world leader in high resolution audio/video capture, recording and streaming products – Epiphan Systems over the past year.

Today our hard work culminated with the launch of Epiphan’s flagship video device Pearl – the first of its kind that can stream and record multiple HD audio-video sources simultaneously.

“This is the most advanced and flexible capture, streaming, and recording platform ever produced by Epiphan,” said David Kirk, director of product management. “Pearl will be a very appealing solution to our customers in education, healthcare, security, worship, business, and industry. It’s also a complementary component for other companies’ video content management systems.”

Design 1st was responsible for the physical product design of the Pearl which features a sleek brushed metal finish, user friend LCD touch screen and multiple input ports.

The Pearl along with several of Epiphan’s other cutting broadcast technologies were being shown and demonstrated for the first time at  Infocomm  2014 tradeshow in Las Vegas – June 18-20.

You can check-out  Epiphan’s booth setup #N1821  below – if you’re at Infocomm, we recommend dropping by and taking the Pearl for a test drive!

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 19, 2023

Keep the James Webb Space Telescope Launch on Track

Keep the James Webb Space Telescope Launch on Track

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

 

In a crunch, COM DEV, the company responsible for a key guidance system component of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, relied on a member of Design 1st’s electronics engineering team to troubleshoot and repair a crippling control system problem.

In October 2018, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency are set to launch the James Webb Space Telescope.

Billed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb will be the most complex and powerful telescope ever built. It will be able to see through dust clouds which absorb visible light, helping scientists to see further back in time.

Orbiting a million miles from the Earth and using a viewing area that is seven times larger than Hubble, JWST will capture the infrared signals from the first stars and galaxies over 13.5 billion years ago.

Crucial to Webb’s success is a Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), a means of positioning the telescope that will orient it for target acquisition and provide image stabilization during scientific observations. COM DEV International Ltd. was contracted in 2001 to begin development of the hardware and software for Webb’s FGS.

COM DEV had experience contributing to over 950 satellite projects, but this was still an enormous task, and a failure to deliver would set back the entire Webb project.

Late-stage space simulation tests uncover a crippling problem.

Unfortunately, late-stage tests in 2013 uncovered serious problems with the FGS’ control system. When the hardware was tested in space-simulating conditions (these were as cold as -240°C), some scenarios caused the system to lock up and behave inconsistently.

The problem was critical and it threatened to delay the entire launch of the JWST.

The software inconsistencies had to be quickly diagnosed and fixed, written into new Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) integrated circuits, and then re-installed into the FGS system. System verification testing would also have to be redone, costing over $1M and slowing down the parallel development of other systems.

And if replacing the FGPAs caused any damage to the host circuit boards, it would create delays which would be disastrous for the whole JWST program.

In searching for a solution, COM DEV engaged Design 1st. VP of electronics Peter Cottreau to troubleshoot the issue and recommend a solution. Acting quickly, Peter:

  • Diagnosed the problem and proposed changes to 3,000 lines of FPGA code
  • Convinced NASA the changes would completely resolve all issues
  • Created a test framework to verify the changes were effective

As of March 6, 2016, with successful completion of instrument testing, the telescope is officially optically complete.

“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people who have been working for many, many years,” said Jamie Dunn, NASA’s Integrated Science Instrument Module Manager. “This final test was phenomenal, everything is working spectacularly well.”

The James Webb Space Telescope is currently scheduled to launch from French Guiana on an Ariane 5 rocket in October 2018.

Read Full Case Study

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 19, 2023

New Medical Device Receives Health Canada Approval

New Medical Device Receives Health Canada Approval

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

Ready to Start?

Often the hardest part of medical product development, is not the tough technical challenges but the nail-biting wait for licensing and certification of your product. Luckily, for our client Joylux, the wait is over.

Last week, Health Canada released their approval of Joylux’s vSculpt product as a licensed medical device.

About vSculpt:

vSculpt is the world’s first over-the-counter handheld medical device utilizing LED (light-emitting diode) technology to help treat the millions of women who suffer from pelvic floor disorders (PFDs).

Users can download a compatible mobile app to assist in tracking treatment time and accessing product instructions and useful tips. Used three times per week for ten minutes per session over 60 days, vSculpt has delivered impressive results.

 

After kicking off the launch of vSculpt at CES 2016, Joylux has built a steady stream of awareness for their vSculpt product, including recent media mentions in both Inc. and Huffington Post.

Now with their Health Canada approval in hand, vSculpt has officially launched in Canada as well.

You can learn more and purchase vSculpt at: www.vsculpt.com

Share

Have a new product idea?

We can help take you from idea to design, prototyping, and volume manufacturing.

Published on: July 19, 2023