Entrepreneurs, Engineers, and Designers Collaborate and Present Results
Babson, Olin & RISD students present prototypes Dec. 4th
Final presentations for the first-ever collaboration between undergraduate students at Babson College, Olin School of Engineering, and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) will be offered on Thursday, December 4, 2008, 2:00-6:00 p.m., at RISD’s Chase Center Auditorium.
Students in the undergraduate Product Design and Development (PDD) course from all three schools have formed 8 interdisciplinary teams and will display their working production prototypes in brief presentations. Each team is comprised of roughly 2 RISD industrial design students, 2 Olin engineering students and 2 Babson business students.
This semester PDD enrolled 14 students from Babson, 17 from Olin, and 14 from RISD. The course culminates in the final presentations, an event that we will rotate among the three schools.
This year's student projects include:
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A better carry-on suitcase that reduces the load on the wrist and features compartments with improved accessibility.
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An intelligent device that reduces vampire power consumption from regular home appliances such as computers and TVs when they are in ‘sleeping mode.’
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High heel shoes that transform into flats, addressing the perennial problem of women’s feet that hurt after a night out on high heels.
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Improved bicycle storage system that enables easy deployment and configuration for municipalities and companies.
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An easy to use cell phone, featuring a better-to-read display, an improved user interface, and ergonomic design.
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A better refrigerator, featuring round turning shelves and a new form factor.
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A system that facilitates in-home recycling, enabling the effortless separation, collection, and disposal of recyclable materials.
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An easy to use laptop power adaptor that accelerates the process of packing and unpacking the power cord and provides a more aesthetic solution.
Faculty representing each school:
Sebastian Fixson, Babson College, sfixson@babson.edu, 781-239-4414
Matt Kressy, Rhode Island School of Design, mkressy@risd.edu, 508-494-2112
Paul Sabin, Olin College of Engineering, paul.sabin@olin.edu, 781-864-6523
