About the project
Gentle Care is a portable scalp cooling system that helps patients reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. It pairs a soft, lightweight cooling cap with a wheeled cooling unit, so patients can keep moving during treatment instead of being tied to a chair. Scalp cooling sessions can last for hours, and most systems keep patients sitting next to a bulky machine. For people already going through a hard time, that equipment can feel heavy, clinical and isolating. The goal was to give patients more comfort, freedom and dignity during treatment.
The soft white shell, light grey padding and translucent silicone strap feel calm and gentle rather than medical. The cap looks more like a piece of everyday gear than hospital equipment, which helps lower the emotional weight of treatment. Color and material also guide use: the rigid white shell marks the protective cooling area, the softer grey and translucent parts show the points that adjust and touch the face, and on the cooling unit a darker grey top groups the controls, hose connection and handle, so nurses and patients see right away where to interact.
Freedom to move shaped the engineering. The cooling unit has large wheels, an integrated handle and a wrap-around hose reel, so patients can walk the hallway, go to the restroom or move between rooms without stopping their session. Industrial design, mechanical engineering and CMF were developed together across the cap and the unit. Gentle Care turns a long, stationary treatment into a more mobile and humane experience, designed to support patients’ comfort and independence when they need it most.
Fit came first. Three head forms and a series of quick cardboard mockups tested how the cap sits, where the strap meets the face and how a wheeled unit feels to pull, before any surface was styled.
The cooling unit is built to follow the patient: large wheels, an integrated handle and a wrap-around hose reel keep the hose tidy on the move.
