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At
the turn of the last century Annika Winell, a 'readingglasswearer',
started to think about if there was any better help than magnifying
mirrors - and later on also makeup glasses - to see sharp at short
distance in a mirror.
Such magnifying mirrors gave a sort of magnified image, it is true, but
the visual aquity was too far away for the makeup needs a presbyopian has
(a person after 45 years of age who needs reading glasses).
And to pluck the eyebrowes was impossible! With glasses on she couldn't
either see or reach the hairs and with no glasses she couldn't see clear
or sharp....this problem must be solved! And how easily the contact
lenses then could be to put in...
A person in need is the mother of inventions,
we have been told and so it happened to be... As a daughter of an
inventor, with almost one hundred patents, Annika started to test and
develop, with obstinacy and persistency and many different prototypes, in
order to have the right look and feel of the product and to experience the
visual aquity as wanted, on a handy distance from the mirror and without
any glasses.
In autumn 2004 the company AWUM AB was founded. The trade mark SPEGELZOOM®
by awum was registered and the graphical profile was decided.
Women of
adequate ages and most of them long-sighted gave their testimonials and
had the opportunity to test prototypes - a very, very good mirror,
they said!!
Some different lenses of glass was purchased – the first
one, from a manufacturer in Holland, were as much as SEK1800 (~€190) and
was extremely clear, but too expensive. Now the matter was to find
polished glass lenses to acceptable prices... The problemes turned out to
be even more - the method for attachment to a mirror was not easy to solve.
The solution suddenly appeared, when Annika visited a manufacturer in
Stockholm and saw the suction cups, used when lifting cars...
There the idea came - so can we
do ! New manufacturers were contacted and new prototypes were made. The product had many shapes, the design was protected by OHIM and
even a patent was applied for...
But even more challenges were waiting - to glue rubber mould to the glass
and get 100% air tight for vacuum appeared to be a difficult problem to
solve.
Many exercises at the glue factory and a industrial robot found the method
- now our secret recipe.
Then we had to make a shiny ring of stainless steel, lasermarked with our
logotype - that took 6 months.
Since September 2006
the product is represented in an exhibition - 'Inventions of women'
at the National museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm.
This was the
story of the SPEGELZOOM®
by awum - the Original
Annika Winell has been nominated to
the award:
'The Swedish woman inventor of the year' - in both 2007, 2008 and
2009, once for each model! At
the EUWIIN innovation conference in Helsinki 7-8 October 2009
Annika Winell was awarded 'A Special Recognition Award' among 27 Finalists
competing for first place -
'The EU Women Innovator of the Year' |
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A
brand new product was growing and developing
- always working, every day, for all long-sighted people , a product for all
mirrors and for the rest of everybodies lives. It lasts and functions even when your vision changes over the years. Easy to attach and to bring on the journey.
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T H
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