Coblum

What it does

Coblum empowers bystanders to save lives when cardiac arrest strikes. By automating CPR and defibrillation, it removes panic and skill barriers, delivering complete first aid within seconds. No skills. No strength. Just set it up and Coblum takes over.

Your inspiration

It started with stories from friends and family, moments when cardiac arrest struck and they froze, overwhelmed, untrained, and unable to help. Digging deeper, I saw how common cardiac arrest was, and how unprepared most people were. Public defibrillators help, but often require high-quality CPR to work -something most bystanders aren’t trained or physically able to perform. That’s when the idea clicked. First aid in these cases follows a clear, repetitive process that can be automated to reduce panic and help people act. That’s how Coblum was born: a device that empowers anyone to step in and save a life when every second counts.

How it works

When someone collapses from cardiac arrest, the bystander opens the device and places it on the chest, using clear markings that line up with simple body landmarks (under the armpits and mid torso). To secure it, they step onto the side platforms, leveraging their body weight to anchor the device in place. With a single press of a button, Coblum takes over. It delivers high-quality CPR with our patent pending mechanism and, if needed, a life-saving shock from its built-in defibrillator — providing complete first aid until emergency responders arrive.

Design process

The core mission of Coblum is to democratise access to cardiac first aid. Behind this goal lies a cross-disciplinary product shaped by three key priorities: clinical relevance, usability, and engineering. Clinical design inputs are grounded in ERC (EU) and RCUK (UK) resuscitation guidelines, supported by expert input and follow-on research. To validate clinical effectiveness, the device was tested on CPR training manikins to confirm compression performance and positioning. The usability process began with in-depth conversations with trained responders and medical professionals to identify key friction points of the resuscitation process. These discussions revealed that the physical demands of manual CPR remain a major barrier. Existing automated devices were often described as bulky, complex, and designed exclusively for trained professionals — with some referring to them as “brutal” in operation. These insights guided the design toward a more approachable, user-friendly solution and informed iterative development. We tested multiple prototypes with small user groups to assess ease of use and interaction. Feedback from users and clinical stakeholders helped shape what Coblum is today, while continuing to inform areas of improvements for future iterations.

How it is different

Coblum is the world’s first automated CPR device for public use, featuring embedded defibrillation technology to cover the entire cardiac first aid response. By democratising access to life-saving intervention, Coblum empowers anyone to act within seconds and provide critical support while waiting for emergency professionals to arrive.

Future plans

Coblum has filed a patent application for its CPR technology, marking a major milestone in protecting its innovation. The team is growing, bringing together passionate talent and top-tier advisors in regulatory affairs, compliance, and emergency medicine. With a working MVP already in hand, Coblum is now raising funds to accelerate development — advancing both usability and clinical performance through larger user testing cohorts and access to high-fidelity simulation models.

Awards

Royal college of art patent Support program winner 2024 / Royal College of Art start up program winner 2024