PODS Play

The story of Lifelites is one built on partnerships and bringing together the ever-evolving worlds of technology and children’s palliative care. From the very beginning, we have worked with dedicated, specialist technology partners, all of whom have enabled us to deliver our ground-breaking work supporting children with life-limiting conditions to play, create and communicate in ways that would otherwise be impossible.

In this latest instalment of our 25 Voices series, we shine a light on our amazing technology partners, starting with Alex Ford from PODS Play, who created the Sensory PODS tents, one of the most popular pieces of tech we provide.

In the beginning

Growing up with disability in the family, I witnessed first-hand how disruptive an effect it can have on family life. This kind of accentuated when I got into school when I was paired with an autistic boy who used to go underneath the table when he was overwhelmed or distressed. Because I was the oldest, I was partnered with him, so I used to help him at lunchtime and through the day.

At the time, I didn’t know it as autism but over time I understood how his state would change when he got underneath the table and found his own safe space. That kind of stuck with me for many years.

After education, I went into the music industry but it wasn’t really for me, though I wanted to stay in the creative field somehow. I was fascinated by product and package design, and with my experiences at home and school, I wanted to see if there was anything out there that recreated the safe environment my classmate had sought under the table.

What I found was very clinical, lots of blackout spaces, nothing with any imagination, flexibility or variation. So, I began designing a PODS tent that could provide either a calming environment or an exciting one, with lights, stories, sound effects and changeable themes and in 2014 PODS Play was born!

Imagination and flexibility

We’ve always designed the product to be inclusive; we want this product to be for everybody, regardless of age, regardless of ability, but it obviously has sensory benefits. We know lights and sounds can soothe children, and there’s something about being a small space that gives security and comfort. Stepping into a temporary environment that can shut someone off from the rest of the world when they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious is amazing.

Having the interchangeable themes and accompanying sounds and stories makes the PODS really versatile, but having the ability to remove all the graphics and have it white can make it more age appropriate for teenagers – and can obviously double as an igloo at Christmas time!

Innovation and development

The technology and its capabilities keep evolving, which is great because it helps us create a better product. When we started, for instance, the fan was like a hair dryer, it was so loud! We spent a lot of time and money in developing a really quiet fan which now sounds like a background ambient noise.

We have recently developed a bigger Therapy POD which can be used all ages, from children to adults with dementia. It’s big enough for a nursery or SEND school and up to 8 children can be in there at any one time.

But most importantly, it can accommodate a single bed and with hoist access through the roof, children, young people and all users, really, can be hoisted onto the POD floor, from wheelchairs and from beds, and back out again. And we’ve managed to design it so it actually packs down to the same bag size as the single POD and it’s only it’s only two kilogrammes heavier!

We’re also working on integrating Alexa and Google Home into the PODS as well. Lot’s happening!

Working with Lifelites

We first started talks with Lifelites back in 2018. We were doing an exhibition at the Farnborough Air Show and I was busy talking to a family and Simone (former CEO) walked past, dropped her card and said we’ll be in touch, which she was a little while later.

Lifelites demoed it and were really impressed how easy it was to put up, use and take down. We basically designed it as “plug in, pop up, play”. The first order came in time for the 2020 installations.

Our relationship has gone from strength to strength since then, and the feedback from the hospices has been phenomenal; we hear, see and learn so much.

There’s been so many heart-warming stories about what an experience the PODS creates both at the hospices, in the community and in family homes.

I’ve also managed to pop into the Children’s Trust as well to see this first hand. It’s been so genuinely lovely and rewarding seeing something that you’ve designed really make a difference and hearing that it’s one of the most used and popular pieces of assisted tech is incredible!

There’s nothing more magical than watching a child engage in immersive play, creating their own worlds and telling their own stories and getting lost in role play. And that’s what PODS do. They are so incredibly immersive that they literally step into the story; we’ve made it so the tech is invisible; you can see the effect but not the tech that create it.

Seeing children enter that environment and become an astronaut or a jungle explorer or a king or queen for the day, it’s fantastic and exciting, and with Lifelites, we make that happen for thousands of children and young people every year.

Jane Maisey, Head of Services at Lifelites, said: “The PODS sensory tents have been incredibly popular with our partners, providing both exciting environments of colour, sounds and lights or calming, relaxing areas where children and young people can feel safe and secure. Alex and his team have been so collaborative and supportive of Lifelites, and have been a joy to work with. They have created a truly versatile piece of sensory technology which has benefitted so many children across the UK and Ireland. And we know that palliative care staff like to decompress and unwind in the tents as well.”