«We designed the newest machine to reflect a new industrial design, user experience and user interface language» said Behar. Fuseproject completed the project for Fluidigm, a company that builds tools for research into genomics – a discipline of genetics that involves the sequencing, assembly and analysis of the formation and structure of a complete set of DNA within a single cell. This cover is milled into shape at high speeds, resulting in a series of ridges that pattern the exterior. Small fluid samples stored in cartridges are inserted into a drawer that opens from below the screen, which is programmed to guide the user through the process with a bold visual interface paired with spoken prompts. «Juno is a breakthrough in single-cell testing. The designers also rebranded the company, creating an animated logo centred around a capital F that is surrounded by shifting polygons coloured in a range of purple and pink gradients. «As Fluidigm is on the forefront of innovation in the life sciences industry, it was important that the brand, physical and digital products be unified to reflect that same pioneering sense, while supporting scientists and lab technicians through their everyday work,» Behar said. «It integrates the tedious and expensive steps of sample handling and pre-amplification to deliver very high-quality data at extremely high throughput from trace quantities of DNA and even from degraded DNA.»
Juno was designed by Behar’s studio to create a simple interface for technicians using the complicated process. The front half of the aluminium shell is purple and the back portion is dark grey. Fluidigm’s latest product, Juno, is a «sample preparation engine» that combines a number of «difficult steps» in the process of testing DNA from small saliva samples into a single machine. Genomics testing helps people to understand their disease risks, ancestry, drug responses and personal traits. Yves Behar’s San Francisco studio Fuseproject has designed a machine for a biotech company that will be used for genetic testing experiments (+ slideshow). Related story: BlueFocus Communication Group to acquire Yves Béhar’s Fuseproject design studio»Fluidigm invented single-cell testing, which can run genomics testing on low-concentration DNA samples and provide genetic test results in less than three hours,» said a statement from Behar.
