December the 11th, 2020 – Nocturiglow is a piece of Croatian innovation which makes an unpleasant situation slightly better for all. The company’s night urinal/bedpan which glows in the dark and is more noticeable in an emergency, and features a design that prevents spills and unpleasant odours, will be on sale as of January next year.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, the Croatian Nocturiglow is a product made by the startup owned by a young man from Rijeka, Ivan Babic. Babic received the Algebra Lab award for it last year, and was a semifinalist of this year’s competition of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology – EIT Health InnoStars Awards. The first copies will be available on nocturiglow.com and later on through other channels.
“We’re starting with the Croatian market, Amazon is also attractive to us,” Babic said, announcing the promotion and commercialisation of the product he described as “low tech” last year. Nocturiglow was designed in Munich, Germany, and Babic thought of it when he was working as a caregiver for people with disabilities.
“I didn’t want to bring it to fruition there, so I decided to return to Croatia and started the business here. The design is the result of Croatian professionals, for which we have a valid patent,” explained Babic. Nocturiglow is designed specifically for individuals with limited mobility and those who have problems with nocturnal urination, but it can be used by anyone and everyone when they need more comfort for whatever reason.
The site states that it is practical for truck drivers, campers and even gamers “during marathon gaming sessions when you feel that those two cans of energy drink you drank are looking for a way out”. It’s also suitable for healthcare institutions – hospitals and homes for the elderly, and with the potential to become a sought-after product, given that the population of the elderly who may need it is continually growing.
“There are a large number of people across the world who have a frequent need to urinate every night and often this poses a challenge that can end up requiring a lot of effort or assistance,” Babic said when asked if Nocturiglow could be a hit.
Is the coronavirus pandemic actually something that goes in his favour, because hospitals are now full of infected people?
”It’s awfu to say that the pandemic benefits anyone, but there are benefits to using the product for people affected by the novel coronavirus: it provides a degree of independence to patients recovering from surgery or who are still unable to move on their own. A patient in a facility doesn’t have to leave the room for emergencies and is significantly less likely to come into contact with another person who may be infected. This level of independence can provide care from one’s own home, instead of a hospital or other institution, and also provides benefits to healthcare staff and to carers,” explained the Nocturiglow creator.
Unfortunately, this innovative Croatian product, according to the idea and prototype, will not be produced within the country, which Babic is far from happy about.
“Here in Croatia, we didn’t have much success in the search for a manufacturer with the appropriate capacity, so we initially decided to produce this product over in China. In addition to injection molding and blowing molds, the whole process has been agreed in which we use technologies such as overmolding and laser welding.
We managed to coordinate all this in one factory in China with the help of the Innovation Laboratory Tenzor LAB from Osijek, a partner in the mediation and finalisation of the prototype. In parallel, we’re working on shifting production over to Europe, preferably here to Croatia. Apart from patriotic reasons, there are also practical reasons for that: with production in Croatia, we have significantly lower shipping costs, and much greater control over the production process,” added Babic.
This product is made of HDPE material (opaque white waxy polymer substance), boasts a length of 30 cm, a height of 14.6 cm, a width of 13 g, a weight of 150 g and a volume of one litre. In addition to its high functionality, emphasis was also placed on design.
“One of the main ideas behind Nocturiglow’s creation stems from the fact that existing solutions on the market have become a stigmatising symbol of health problems, no one likes to think about them and they’re associated with feelings of shame or discomfort. In addition to functionality, the Nocturiglow design is further emphasised by its integrated phosphorescent components. The threaded plug prevents spillage and suppresses unwanted odors, and the luminous parts make it easier to spot in the dark. It’s also suitable for autoclave sterilisation, which is an important feature of hospitals and various institutions,” described the Rijeka-grown entrepreneur.
One year ago, he founded the company Tao Tech, which currently has 10 different experts, using the space in the science and technology park Step RI in Rijeka. Since back in 2019, they’ve received an investment from the VC fund Fil Rouge Capital, a cash FIPRO award for their prototype, an award for innovators from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and some other smaller investments. However, Babic stated that the support of EIT Health really stood out.
“Thanks to EIT Health, we were able to finalise the development of Nocturiglow within a year of starting the company,” stated the young entrepreneur.
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