HP Innovation Journal Issue 11: Winter 2018 | Page 32

GIRAFFES, ROBOTS, AND DINOSAURS ODORLESS AND VERSATILE In the U.S., HP is working with the Batcole Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds for research into new therapies for neuroblastoma and other pediatric can- cers, to redesign hospitals so that young patients are surrounded with as much joyful creativity as possible. Carol and Mike Winnefeld founded Batcole in 2015 after their son, Cole, passed away at age 11 following a six-and-a-half-year fight against cancer. Katie Linendoll, an Emmy Award-winning tech expert who had been a volunteer at the New York hospital where Cole was treated and became close friends with him, brought HP and Batcole together. After making over the hospital near Cole’s hometown in Indiana, the partners plan to redecorate hospitals nationwide, starting with Pitts- burgh, Boston, and Orlando. These make-believe worlds are made possible by HP Latex technology. Developed by HP’s R&D lab in Bar- celona, HP Latex inks produce prints that are odorless and release extremely low levels of volatile organic compounds, making them ideal for sensitive environ- ments such as hospitals. One of the first hospital areas HP and Batcole tackled was the room where Cole had spent so much time. HP and the Foundation splashed one wall with a montage of Cole’s drawings, including images of giraffes, robots, and dinosaurs. Another treatment room’s walls are filled with brightly colored origami foxes, birds, and other creatures, giving the children much-needed distractions. “When the children get into this newly decorated space, they smile.” — Lourdes Amayas, press chief for Foundación Juegaterapia “With these wall decorations, you can transform a room that’s plain and boring and unengaging in a matter of hours—making a huge difference and creating a huge motivator not only for the kids but for the staff,” says Carol Winnefeld. 30 HP Innovation Journal Issue 11 For instance, when HP began talking to hospitals in Spain, Vidal says, doctors there questioned the suitabil- ity of installing the prints around children with compro- mised health. So HP ran tests to demonstrate the latex inks’ safety and lack of odor, which won the hospitals over, he says. “HP Latex is very human-friendly,” explains Vidal. “Not all technologies are able to go into a delicate environment like this.” HP’s latex printing technology is also versatile—it can print designs on all kinds of substrates, including walls, floors, canvases, and blinds. Using HP Latex, Fundación Juegaterapia and Niño Jesús administrators created a small universe full of light and color, including nooks carved into the walls where children can get away and flooring that mimics grass. RETHINKING CLASSROOMS, TOO For HP, its work with hospitals provides proof of HP Latex’s potential to make a difference in childrens’ lives. Now, schools are eyeing the technology to create en- gaging, interactive classroom environments, says Vidal. The effort has delivered all that Vidal envisioned three years ago and more. “When you see how the same technology you work with day to day can make a kid smile or make them less scared,” he says, “that touches you in a very personal way.” This article originally appeared on the Garage by HP. Visit garage.ext.hp.com for more stories on how technology is improving our world.