iDesign Prize 2017 Award

The University of Pennsylvania’s graduate program in Integrated Product Design presents the 2017 iDesign Prize Championship. Multiple teams led by Penn students will complete for $50,000 to bring an innovative product to market. The pitch session will culminate in an awards ceremony and public reception; admission is free.

The annual iDesign competition, open to teams led by any Penn student, promotes the design of physical objects that solve a real-world problem by offering both financial support and mentorship to realize the winning concept. This year’s five short-listed proposals offer fresh takes on lounge seating, making pasta at home, and manufacturing, and present potentially life-changing solutions for new mothers and the world’s refugees.

Burrow (Kabeer Chopra, Leah K.S. Amick, and Stephen Kuhl)
Burrow is a customizable couch that delivers style, comfort, value and convenience. Burrow is ordered online and ships free in easy-to-carry, compact packages. It can be assembled at home in under 10 minutes, without tools, for a 100-day trial. Eventually, the Burrow line will include a sectional and full living room suite: chairs, coffee tables, rugs, book shelves, side tables and throw pillows.

2Me (Carissa Lim, Jessica Soe, and Justin Chang)
Newborn falls in the hospital are more frequent that is widely known—and very preventable. 2Me is an innovative baby bassinet that allows new mothers in the hospital to easily, safely, and painlessly transfer their baby to and from the crib, using a cantilever design and tilting mechanism.

Mesh (Dan Truong, Chris Lin, Connor Chong, and Victor Chien)
Mesh stands to give a voice to the millions of refugees around the world. Mesh is a custom framework for an internet-and-cellular-free communications network in the form of a smartphone app that functions without cellular towers or Wi-fi routers. Mesh Boxes that have the Mesh app pre-loaded will be marketed to aid organizations, who can then distribute them alongside the other supplies that they normally give out.

Presta Pasta Maker (Yoav Rabino, Jono Sanders, and Sarah Schechter)
More than 6 billion pounds of pasta are consumed by Americans annually, making it the 6th most consumed food in the U.S. Presta answers this demand with a home pasta maker that uses bean flour instead of wheat, making for a more nutritional, satisfying meal that’s quick and requires minimal cleanup.

Revolv3D (Jonathan Sanchez, Elizabeth Silvestro, and Eric Wahl)
The current state of manufacturing presents tradeoffs between convectional machining design and cost limitations or additive stair steps approximations of circles. Revolve3D is an alternative to the traditional lathe and 3D printer that has applications for consumer goods, medical devices, and industrial parts. Revolv3D also reduces material waste, print times, and increases creative potential.

Questions? Please email askaboutidesign@gmail.com