Zhiyi Chen, Xiaoxi Wang, and Hoilam Leong, graduates and student in Product Design and Manufacture (PDM) from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), won the recently concluded Red Dot Award with their innovative designs “Memory” and “Grippy”.
The Red Dot Award has a rich history spanning over half a century and is recognised as one of the three major design awards in the world. Their entries stood out among over 4,000 submissions from more than 50 countries and regions worldwide, earning them the 2024 "Red Dot Concept Award."
Xiaoxi and Zhiyi's "Memory" is an assistive device for elderly people with cognitive impairments. It consists of a necklace, a ring, and several tags. When the patient approaches a medication bottle with an NFC tag, the ring automatically reads the information and transmits it to the necklace via Bluetooth. The necklace then plays the reminder, helping to trigger the patient's memory. "I hope to help them live more independently and with greater dignity," explained Xiaoxi.
Hoilam also put her eye on the elderly with her "Grippy" VR game controller, specially designed for elderly grip strength practice while gaming. "Grippy" is paired with VR games to motivate grip exercises. The product incorporates various details, such as textured designs for improved grip stability, to enhance the experience and meet the needs of elderly users.
Over the past six months, Xiaoxi and Hoilam felt that their professional skills, design thinking and research exploration abilities had significantly improved." I have developed a complete design thinking framework during the process, and it continuously motivates me to seek the best solutions," recalled Xiaoxi. Hoilam hoped that in the future, she would continue to focus on human-centred design.
Professor Xu Sun, Professor in Industrial Design and Manufacture and Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Partnerships, Dr Jiang Wu, Assistant Professor in PDM, and Loïc Faulon, Tutor in PDM, supervised the project and guided the students to refine the works. "We encourage students to actively engage with global social issues and use cutting-edge technology to solve problems," Dr Wu noted.
"UNNC has always been committed to providing students with abundant resources and platforms to support their practical exploration, which lays a solid foundation for their success on the international stage," said Professor Sun. She attributed the outstanding performance of PDM students to UNNC's human-centred design philosophy and interdisciplinary teaching.
Published on 16 October 2024