ELLE by Della Tosin
Earlier this week, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) announced the winners of the 2014 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition, which is regarded as one of the most preeminent design competitions in the nation.
IDSA revealed Art Center as one of the leading academic winners this year, continuing Art Center’s 20-plus-year winning streak. A panel of international design experts evaluated entries on aspects of industrial design excellence including innovation, benefits to the user and client, sustainability and the design’s visual appeal. Art Center students received four awards:
Calientamigos
GOLD–Calientamigos
Calientamigos is an affordable and accessible water heating system comprised of three modular components: a portable electric water heater that safely heats five gallons of water to 110 degrees in 15 minutes, a simple foot pump and a multipurpose faucet head. Calientamigos was designed by Product Design students Kevin Chang, Tianyi Sun, Della Tosin, Shingo Mamiya and Grad Environmental student Kristina Jesena for Designmatters’ Safe Agua Colombia project in collaboration with TECHO, Socialab and Compartamos con Colombia.
ELLE
SILVER–Elle
Elle combines swimwear and prosthesis to optimize amputees’ swimming experiences. Designed by Product Design student Della Tosin to assist single-leg amputees to compete with able-bodied swimmers in competitions, it enables the user to achieve balance, maximize the energy return of launch off and flip-turns and supports the body through the latest technology.
Maglon
BRONZE–Maglon
Designed by Product Design student Mei-Ker Lai, Maglon is a magnetic binding system that attaches crampons—traction devices used by ice climbers to improve mobility—efficiently and securely to a climber’s footwear. A neodymium magnet is located on both the crampons and the sole, and attaches when the boots approach the crampons. The magnetic buckles self-lock, as well.
Respire
BRONZE–Respire
Respire is a system that manages allergy symptoms by monitoring air particles in the living environment. Designed by Product Design students Hui-Wen Wang and Kasia Burzynska, Respire collects air-quality data and provides personalized allergen forecasts based on a user’s allergy profile. It can work in isolated locations or be part of a greater network by connecting to other Respires. It also features Curity patches, an antihistamine delivery capsule.
Ten more Art Center students were recognized as IDEA finalists for their work on six additional projects, including Unisnow by Junyong Park; Rytm by Kenneth Tay, Kimberly Chow and Sherry Chen; Snoweel by Kuan-Yu Lin; HeartRead by Mariko Iwai; BaldeMovil by Kristena Jesena and Shingo Mamiya; and Tejo Conejo by Connie Bakshi and Rudy Rummel with USC student Timothy Kline.
For detailed descriptions and photos on this year’s winners and finalists, as well as more detail about the jury, visit http://www.idsa.org/idea-2014-gallery.
