The art and science of design
One of the child restraint prototypes
Industrial design students are showing how a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics can help combat road fatalities and sleep disorders.
In a recent exhibition under the direction of industrial design lecturers Dr Robbie Napper and Mr Robert Eales, third year Monash students demonstrated the impact and importance of good design in a number of key projects, in a collaboration with leading researchers from other disciplines.
“Part of the class worked on an important collaboration with Professor Mark Stevenson and the Monash University Accident Research Centre to design an integrated child restraint in direct response to the child injury epidemic amongst India’s growing car market,” said Dr Napper.
According to Dr Napper, Australia averages 66 fatalities per 10,000 road crashes. In developing countries these statistics are much higher. Vietnam, for example, averages 3181 fatalities per 10,000 crashes.
In a second, equally significant project, a number of students worked under the guidance of Associate Professor Shantha Rajaratnam, from the School of Psychology and Psychiatry, to develop products to assist people with sleep disorders or jetlag.
“The effects of sleep deprivation have been well documented, with effects including weight gain, impaired judgement and difficulty retaining new information, as well as cardiac problems including heart disease and stroke,” said Dr Napper.
“The task was to design products that help people use therapeutic blue light to reset their circadian rhythms and thus improve the quality of their sleep.”
The project was undertaken as part of a collaboration formed to support the development of a Cooperative Research Centre – a collaboration between Monash, other academics institutions and industry partners.
In addition, four double degree students presented individual projects including a self-powered biogas barbecue, an arm cast for orthopaedic injuries, and two ambulances – one for snow based recovery, the other for urban transportation.
The results of both the sleep and car restraint projects are going to be taken forward for more development and, it is hoped, trialling and implementation.
“The event showcased the skills of all of the students, as well as the value of projects. It was also invaluable preparation for the students' final year of study.” Dr Napper said.