German Design Award 2026 — Excellent Product Design Category: Medical, Rehabilitation and Health Care
Great medical devices are built at the intersection of thoughtful design, reliable engineering, and smart technology, all working together without friction, so patients can live more independently and caregivers can focus on what matters most.
We're proud to share that the De Heer Medicom Care Unit, developed in collaboration with GBO Innovation Makers and De Heer Medicom, has received the German Design Award 2026 for Excellent Product Design in the Medical, Rehabilitation and Health Care category, one of the most respected recognitions in product design.
What is the Care Unit?
The Care Unit is a central hub for healthcare home automation. It monitors a range of connected devices, door contacts, motion detectors, cameras, and wrist transmitters, and ensures that alerts reach caregivers or family members immediately. Two-way communication and flexible configurations allow it to adapt to different home care environments, from independent living to more intensive support situations.
SPINNOV's contribution
While GBO Innovation Makers managed the end-to-end process from product design through tooling and production, SPINNOV was responsible for the electronics design, embedded software, audio performance optimization, and cloud-based device management. This combination of hardware intelligence and software reliability is what allows the Care Unit to perform dependably in real-world care settings, day in, day out.
A shared achievement
This award reflects the kind of work we care most about: technically demanding, genuinely useful, and human-centred in every detail. Thank you to the entire team at GBO Innovation Makers and De Heer Medicom for a collaboration built on trust and shared standards, and to the Rat für Formgebung (German Design Council) for this honour.
About the Parties
GBO Innovation Makers
GBO Innovation Makers is a Dutch product design and engineering studio specialising in turning complex product challenges into manufacturable, market-ready solutions. With expertise spanning industrial design, tooling, and production management, GBO guides projects from early concept through to full-scale production, acting as the integrating force that brings multidisciplinary teams together.
De Heer Medicom
De Heer Medicom is a Dutch developer and supplier of care technology for home and professional healthcare environments. Their products are built around one purpose: enabling people to live independently for longer, with the safety net of reliable monitoring and communication technology close at hand.
SPINNOV
SPINNOV is an end-to-end IoT and connected product engineering company based in Veldhoven, in the heart of the Dutch Brainport region. From electronics design and embedded software to cloud platforms and UX, SPINNOV covers the full technical stack needed to bring intelligent, connected products to life, across MedTech, AgriTech, SportsTech, and beyond.
For further questions, please contact:
Chris Heger
SPINNOV
Email: c.heger@spinnov.com