14 DAY TRIAL // One of the stars of the 2007 edition of the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA for short), was the invention of a design group from New Zealand. The computer keyboard won the much-coveted gold award. The LOMAK keyboard is especially designed for disabled persons and because of its unique features, it should enable people with various disfunctionalities to use a computer. It is operated by a had or hand mounted laser designator and can be used to facilitate the Web browsing, word typing and so on.
The IDEA program's goal is to improve public and business understanding of how the industrial design and innovations impact on the quality of life and the economy. Among the previous winners of gold medals from IDEA were HP, Apple and Logitech. The LOMAK (light operated mouse and keyboard) design won the gold medal for the local design company Creativelab led by Peter Haythornthwaite that was cited by the news site NZHerald: "This award recognizes the skills, passion and vision of a talented team of people". "Our designers worked with inventor Mike Watling and engineers to create a system that has a profound effect on the lives of people with disabilities."
According to Opdo CEO, Chris Mulcare, the LOMAK design is transforming the customers' lives: "LOMAK users develop a whole new outlook on life - they can email friends, remain productive in the workplace, join MySpace, sell things on Trade Me - the things anyone with a computer and an internet connection takes for granted. At school or university, LOMAK means having the same opportunities as other students". The keyboard that uses the LOMAK design already has a great number of users, with ages from 7 to 78 years old, and which have a very wide range of motor disabilities like multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, spinal muscular atrophy, cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, arthritis and repetitive strain injury.