Luma³ (pronounced ‘Luma cube’) is the result of one man’s determination to help school children suffering with mental illness. Michael Crinnion (Crin to his friends) actually started his career as a degree-qualified industrial product designer, before retraining to become a teacher. He currently splits his time between working as a senior leader in a school that specialises in safeguarding the mental wellbeing of young people and running the company that produces Luma³.

He works with young people who can be incredibly troubled. He understands them. He recognises what they are going through. He has a genuine care and desire to help them. Because he has also suffered with mental health issues, following the untimely death of his father from cancer. One of the key learnings he took from that period was the need to regularly ‘check-in with yourself’ and practice breathing techniques, which he still benefits from today. This ancient piece of wisdom was the seed of an idea for Luma³.

His desire was always to create an incredibly simple yet intuitive product. A screen-free, wireless device that was intriguing and tactile enough, so any child would want to pick it up and interact with it. He knew if he could get them to use it in their own time, it would help them self-soothe rather than turn to negative coping mechanisms. He also saw the potential for this device to help anyone, at work or at home who needed a moment of calm and to learn a simple but powerful technique for self regulation and stress reduction.

in 2021, Crin contacted Richard to discuss his now well-developed idea, bringing along a ‘proof of concept’ model he’d 3D printed. Ever the designer, Crin used his spare time to invent a hand-sized light cube that reacted to touch and pulsed with a soft calming glow as if it were breathing. The basic principle of which, was to encourage its owner to take a break and guide them through a choice of breathing techniques.

But having a CAD drawing and a 3D model is a million miles away from a product that's ready for launch, plus we felt Crin’s estimated calculations for its price-point and the cost to manufacture could be improved­.

So we helped him put a development strategy around it: to de-risk it, to make it ‘manufacturable’, to source less expensive materials from alternative suppliers, and to open up new routes for funding. It made him realise just how much more was involved.

Our approach started with his funding – taking Crin’s existing CAD model and creating a high-end 3D prototype, so it could feature in a Kickstarter campaign (we even helped with the video). This gave us time to really get under the skin of the product itself. It comprises of seven key components: 1. Injection moulded Outer Shell, 2. Diffuser, 3. Printed circuit board (PCB) with light sensor and LED matrix, 4. PCB Tray, 5. On/Off switch, 6. Button feet, and 7. Tactile wooden base

Although the final outcome was faithful to Crin’s original design, nothing was left untouched. We redesigned everything from the ground up, so it could be made more efficiently. We developed a new way for all the components to fit and fix together, so it could be assembled/ disassembled quicker. And we sourced new wood, injection moulding and packaging suppliers to drive down cost.

We tested and tested it, to mitigate as much risk as possible. And we worked in conjunction with an advanced PCB manufacturer, to develop and evolve the electronics and assembly line. Everything was focused on making Luma3 a more viable product and improve it chances of becoming a commercial success.

What impressed us most, was Crin hadn’t simply plucked an idea out his head or invented a problem that needed fixing. This was a genuine solution based on a proven therapeutic technique, to help troubled young people manage stress and anxiety. As soon as we saw it, we thought it was a good idea – but we also knew he would need to make a lot of adjustments to get it off the ground and into the hands of those who needed it most.

He’s managed to overcome every hurdle thrown at him. His Kickstarter campaign was a success and after attracting further private investment, Luma3 launched in Spring 2022. Visit https://www.luma3.uk/ if you would like to find out more.

Work packages