Students from third level colleges across Ireland presented their design projects at the third annual Universal Design Grand Challenge awards ceremony in the Science Gallery, Dublin last week. The awards are an initiative of the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority, supported by Enterprise Ireland.
Universal design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.
The theme of this year’s awards was Solutions so smart they work for everyone.
The judges’ choice award for technology went to Damien Dennehy from Cork IT (pictured) for an automatic flood defence barrier which automatically detects and prevents flooding through standard domestic and commercial doorways. Damien also took the Enterprise Ireland universal design commercialisation award.
Other judges’ choice winners included DIT students Megan Lee for her design, Universal Student Accommodation and Greg Butler for Orb Organiser Alarm, an alarm clock with the added benefit of remote and time controlled plugs to trigger electrical devices intended for use by people with limited mobility and poor organisational skills.
The people’s choice award went to Robbie Fryers and Talita Holzer Saad, from Trinity College Dublin for WayFinder, a navigational aid that makes safe, independent travel a possibility for users – including pre-teens, the elderly and those with an intellectual disability
“We were delighted to see the entries for this year’s Universal Design Grand Challenge Awards coming from such a wide range of disciplines: from product and industrial design, to mechanical engineering and architecture,” said National Disability Authority chairperson Helen Guinan. “The nine finalists demonstrate Universal Design is being taught more and more in third-level colleges and students are responding to the challenge of designing useful and beautiful solutions that benefit the widest range of people possible.”
David Flood from Enterprise Ireland added: “Novel design thinking is an integral part of the research & innovation agenda supported by Enterprise Ireland. The UDGC is a great occasion to encourage the ambition of designers and researchers in Ireland’s third level who want to bring their ideas from the workshop to the marketplace. The UDGC Commercialisation Award gives the winner an opportunity to connect with business and market experts who will help to validate and develop their product concept.”
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