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Safety Cycling Riding Helmet by Ce Zhong |
Home > Winners > Design #58327 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
CZ: Because of the deaf’s listening problem, they can’t hear the car’s trumpet when they are riding so that they don’t know transportation behind them. Meanwhile, the drivers don’t know the riders are deaf, and the drivers can’t take safety measures. On account of not realizing bilateral messages, it leads to severe traffic accidents.
FS: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
CZ: To protect the deaf’s riding safety, we design this type of helmets. The LED lamp on the back of the helmet can actively project the warming lights on the road, which can attract the attention of the driver. When a vehicle comes near, the radar detector can receive the signal and deliver the messages to the deaf by shocking on the left and right sides of the helmet. It can remind the deaf and the driver simultaneously to avoid an accident. This helmet sets up an active safety relation between the driver and the deaf. Therefore, it has both active and passive safety properties.
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
CZ: May try to iterate this design and manufacturing.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
CZ: Lasts for one year.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
CZ: This concept is focusing on how the design of technology can protect deaf cycle in their everyday lives? We investigate more than three different ways to design this computational artifact with designers, engineers, and researchers get together. We hope this final prototype can be deployed in Vancouver for about six months. Furthermore, we want to evaluate the design processes through research in this ethnographical quantitive study.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
CZ: I can either sell or produce by myself.
FS: What made you design this particular type of work?
CZ: Because I want to achieve these functions below: First, when deaf is cycling on the road, the LED lamp can switch on to warning drivers and pedestrians. Second, when cars come near, the radar detector receives the signal that a vehicle is near coming. Third, the embedded radar delivers the message to deaf through shocking on the two sides of the helmet. Fourth, cars and deaf cycler safely keep on the road.
FS: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
CZ: Yes, we get a lot of inspirations from other’s work. Mainly what kind of material we can choose, how can we better job out the functionality of this product by considering the manufacturing techniques.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
CZ: Deaf people and cycling people.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
CZ: This design is just focusing on deaf people use when they are cycling on the road. And technologies are embedded in this artifacts. The interaction between deaf people and drivers can achieve when using this artifact.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
CZ: The name safety cycling means this helmet can help deaf people confident when they are cycling on the road. Also, it means it can protect and save the life by reducing accidents.
FS: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
CZ: Rhinos and Sledworks.
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
CZ: The balance between manufacturing costs, eco-friendly design, material choose, and safety use.
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
CZ: I work with Shan Yu Ku in this project, and we have a good collaboration and discussion by dealing with a lot of challenges problems.
FS: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
CZ: For the hardware side, a microcontroller is utilized in this artifact, with an IR sensor and led projector. For the software side, C programming language is used to embed algorism in the inside of it.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
CZ: We do have a research analysis by reviewing literature research on the deaf helmet, traffic accident, etc. Furthermore, we have a field study by design interview questionnaire for deaf people and data collection by browsing the internet.
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
CZ: How to design a technology that can help deaf hear the trumpet when they are cycling on the road. Simultaneously, how to augment the interaction between drivers and deaf cycler through the design of technology. Meanwhile, how to find a suitable material to meet the outdoor use. After all, the challenge of the plan is how to balance those aspects effectively.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
CZ: I hope this insight of design and technology can better help deaf people in their everyday life. As a result, the aim of this design can achieve.
FS: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
CZ: I have a lot of iterations during the process of design. We have multiple mock-ups and prototypes are tested during the design. We learned that user needs are not the only one concern of the artifact. As a designer, we should focus more on the detail using a process of the designed product.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
CZ: No.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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