"Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design." Charles Eames
John Ju Seok Lee, a current student at the Advanced Product Design Programme at UID, and Anna-Karin Bergkvist an APD alumni, who graduated this summer, were among the 180 who was acknowledged with a red dot award in this year&s Design Concept categories. The two students were selected from more than 3.000 entries from 55 countries, submitted for 20 different categories.
John Lee received his red dot in the category Mobility for his concept Halcyon, a trailer unit that offers both cleaning and storage for the clothes and equipment of fire fighters, in order to prevent the contamination, spread, and inhalation of carcinogenic and hazardous particles at a fire scene. The concept was developed during John&s first term project at the APD programme, which was carried out in collaboration with the local fire department. The term project&s overall theme is Design for User Experience and is dedicated to the design philosophy and methods of People Centred Design, focusing on the users& problems, needs and wishes when identifying design opportunities.
Halcyon is an innovative solution to one of the biggest problems for fire fighters - cancer. It is the first of its kind, creating a new market for fire fighters& equipment. The product has been designed to reduce fire fighter-related cancer occurrence by preventing the contamination, spread, and inhalation of carcinogenic and hazardous particles at a fire scene.
Halcyon is a utility trailer unit used by fire fighters outside the fire scene for resting, getting changed, cleaning, and storing their equipment that has been exposed to carcinogenic particles. Halcyon instantly stops spreading the particles into the trucks, stations and lockers, by isolating and cleaning the contaminated equipment without the need for water or washing detergent. This is done by integrating three technologies: A negative ion generator, a high-efficiency particulate-absorbing (HEPA) filter, and an air-wash system. Read more about the concept at the red dot design award.
John Lee, who recently completed an internship at Nokia in Finland, is presently on a new internship at Lunar Design in San Francisco, USA - after which, rumour has it, he will be heading for a third international internship at a major design consultancy in Munich, Germany.
Anna-Karin Bergkvist received her red dot in the category Green for a concept for an eco-friendly tree-planting robot for the Swedish forest industry. The concept was the result of her MA degree project, which was carried out in collaboration with Husqvarna.
The goal of the project was to design a concept for an environmentally friendly tree-planting machine for Sweden&s forests in 2030. The result is a fully automated, steam-powered planting robot, equipped with ground-friendly feet and a flexible planting arm.
Today, most parts of the forestry industry in Sweden are completely mechanised. Planting, however, is still mainly done by hand. This is hard work, and it is getting increasingly difficult to find willing labour. Existing planting machines are still too inefficient and inflexible, and the size and function of the machines puts unnecessary strain on the environment. The Eco-Friendly Tree Planting Robot offers an alternative.
The robot&s four legs reduce the pressure on the forest floor and allow the machine to be smaller while still being able to move though tough terrain. The machine prepares the planting spot in an environmentally friendly way by using hot steam to kill competing vegetation. Steam power is also used to run the machine; an efficient closed loop-steam engine is powered by heat. The machine is fuelled by waste products from the forestry industry, such as pellets or woodchips. It also features a hydraulic system, using water instead of oil. Read more about Bergkvist&s concept at the red dot design award.
