Untapped exhibition, Guilford Lane Gallery
‘Industrial Design students at Swinburne are provided with the practical, theoretical and business skills required to work creatively and professionally in a wide range of product design and development industries…Industrial designers develop products and systems that meet human needs and expectations.’
Swinburne University, Melbourne, offers Bachelor, Bachelor with Honours and Masters courses in Industrial Design. Students from all of these three areas exhibited work at a recent graduate exhibition at the Guilford Lane Gallery December 2-6 2009.
There were many exciting, innovative projects featured at the exhibition. The designs mentioned below are just a selection from many students’ high quality presentations.
Medical Injection Device, Swinburne student group project; Life Aid, Lena Chia
Quite a few projects focused on medical solutions, such as the Medical Injection Device, a group project from Swinburne graduates. This project aimed to ‘design-out the potential misuse of auto injecting devices’ by redesigning a clear instruction panel that appears on the protective carry tube. The shape of the device was also re-engineered to be more ergonomic and user friendly.
Lena Chia’s Life Aid, a hand held device with an LCD screen that gives instructions in an emergency was another medical marvel. The unit is designed to ‘prompt and guide user to identify the correct treatment, by giving step by step instructions.’ This unit comes packaged in a first aid kit with dressings that are also pre-packed in the correct order according to the treatment required.
Soladry Retractable Clothesline, Joseph Luca; Swish Manual Laundry Aid, Lena Tan
Some projects aimed to make life easier around the home, such Joseph Luca’s Soladry Retractable Clothesline. The design idea for this project originated when Joseph observed his mother struggling to reach the clothesline at home due to bad shoulders. Lines can be lowered to the ideal position to attach clothing and then retracted to hang and let clothing dry.
On the theme of washing, Lena Tan’s Swish Manual Laundry Aid was an ideal product for a single-person-household due to its compact nature. Based on the design of a salad spinner, this design uses centrifugal force to clean and dry clothing. For the bathroom, Thom Luke has designed “ambient” lighting that is integrated with bathroom-wares in his creation, Lumi that ‘addresses bathroom illumination from a different perspective…Lumi aims to encourage a more relaxed approach to bathroom use, after dark.’
Lumi, Thom Luke; Shared Vision Helmet, Benjamin Carr
Benjamin Carr targets the workplace with his Shared Vision helmet, designed for ‘remote diagnosis of problems on mining machinery. Designed to reduce machine down time, the helmet provides a link between the operator and support,’ whilst looking pretty slick too!
Some projects demonstrated innovative ways in which a small blood sample could be taken to test blood sugar levels, particularly in an elderly patient or a patient with Parkinson’s disease, who may have hand tremors. Haneul Yoo’s Won blood glucose meter extracts blood using a fine laser beam (much less painful and hygienic than conventional needle). Won is also a compact and ergonomic unit that is easy to carry around and hold.
Won, Haneul Yoo; Spectra, Michael Batchelor
Michael Batchelor’s Spectra Optical Blood Glucose measuring device utilises infrared technology to take a blood sugar level reading from the patient’s eye. ‘Spectra is a highly portable and ultra flexible device,’ demonstrated through the three different ways it can be used; stand alone, wall mounted or on a frame over the patients eye, making it adaptable for different patient’s needs.
The Universal Design project was developed because ‘By 2020 half the adult population will be aged over 50…In response to an ageing and increasingly diverse population we can no longer design for idealised users. Many people now and in the future will suffer from disabilities, be it issues with motor skills, vision impairment, acquired brain injuries or deterioration through ageing.’
Flat Out, Lily Hockley; PushNGo, Lennard Ewenson
Working with Yooralla, a Disability Service Provider (who support people of all ages with MS, autism, elderly conditions, brain injury or stroke) students were required to ‘identify their own design problems’ or work with five particular case studies provided by Yooralla. The projects resulting from this venture are varied and exciting and include the three mentioned below.
Lily Hockley’s Flat Out induction iron does not need to be lifted from the board and simply slides back into its charging dock when not in use. This product is excellent for people that suffer from weak arms/wrists/shoulders through muscular deterioration or arthritis.
Another curious but clever idea is Lennard Ewenson’s PushNGo Toothpaste dispenser. This device has been designed for people with ‘low dexterity in their hands due to illness and age.’ This neat unit holds toothbrushes in one side, whilst a black lever on the other side will dispense paste when pushed down. The design is attractive and functional enough to be used in any family bathroom and would also be great for children learning how to brush their teeth.
Snip Snip, Shin Sawada; Untapped exhibition, Guilford Lane Gallery
This was a professionally presented exhibition with a remarkable variation of work. Keep an eye out for these designer’s names in the future!
