Education: Emmanuel College, Cambridge Universisty, B.A in engineering; MIT, M.S. in technology and policy, Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

His mission: "…to create and develop products that perform technically and connect emotionally."

Harry West directs research and innovation for Design Continuum, a product development company most well-known for its development of the "Reebok pump." The pump is a perfect example of a product that performs technically and at the same time connects emotionally with the user. Dr. West’s team of engineers and other scientists combine engineering with industrial design to meet the user’s specific needs. They have developed widely varied products such as robotics devices, cash machines, medical devices, household appliances, and agricultural equipment.

Before joining Design Continuum, Dr. West was on the faculty of MIT from 1986 through 1994. At MIT he founded the Mechatronics Design Laboratory for research in the design and control of robotic manipulators and intelligent machines.

In 1990, in collaboration with faculty from Tokyo Institute of Technology and with the support of NHK and NEC, he founded the International Design Congress for research and education in international collaborative design. The Congress is now in its seventh year and has been joined by Cambridge University, England; Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany; Seoul National University, Korea; and U-Poli Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Dr. West’s design philosophy has always been to find a better solution to a problem through interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, industrial designers and consumer researchers.

Email: hwest@continuum.com