Taiwan Today

A team of three students from the Department of Industrial Design at Tunghai University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City received a gold medal in the Student Design category as well as the Curator’s Choice Award for their innovative fracture fixation boards at the 2016 International Design Excellence Awards Aug. 17 in Dearborn, Michigan. Inspired by the knowledge that 50 percent of injuries sustained from earthquakes are bone fractures, Wang and classmates Huang Yu-man and Chen Chia-ling came up with the idea of BoneAid, a light polypropylene board that can be folded into various shapes to stabilize body parts that have sustained bone injuries. Unlike most fixation boards, which are bulky and rigid, BoneAid is flat-packed for easy storage and can be easily supplied to disaster zones or areas that lack sufficient medical resources, Huang said. “Recognition and encouragement like this will fuel our passion in the area of product design and motivate us to ensure our designs make contributions to society,” student Wang Yu-chi said after returning from the awards ceremony in the U.S. According to Lo Ji-hong, an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Design at Tunghai University, BoneAid could make a significant difference in disaster zones. “An ambulance can carry 500 traditional fixation boards at most, but with BoneAid’s flat and foldable design, the same space might hold as many as 18,000 units. This would definitely enhance the efficiency and quality of medical treatment,” he said. “Nearly 1,700 entries from 30 countries were submitted for the competition this year, indicating the competitiveness of this award,” Lo said. Ranked alongside international design accolades such as Germany’s iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award, as well as Japan’s Good Design Award, IDEA is a premier international design competition conducted by the Industrial Designers Society of America. It recognizes and promotes excellence across a wide array of industries, including commercial, entertainment and home goods products. (SCK-E) Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw