A tsunami warning system and an orientation system designed by students at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology have won design prizes at the iF Public Value Student Award in Germany.
The tsunami warning system, dubbed “Right Way,” is a roadside sign system that instantly switches to an evacuation sign when it receives a tsunami warning to guide people toward shelters.
The system provides people with the latest information on tsunamis and helps with decisions on whether and where to seek shelter.
Photo: CNA
It was designed and developed by Ma Hui-chuan (馬彗娟) and Cheng Yang-jang (程彥彰).
The design concept was inspired by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the devastation the natural disasters caused, Ma said.
He said “Right Way” combines the functions of general traffic signs with emergency evacuation signs aimed at helping people find shelter when a tsunami occurs and easing their fear and anxiety.
The orientation system that won an iF Public Value Award, called “Blind Guider,” was designed and developed by Lee Yin-kai (李胤愷) and Wang Chih-hao (王志皓) along with Ma and Cheng to help the visually impaired keep track of where they are going while on the move.
The “Blind Guider” uses radio-frequency identification technology to announce street names and the direction users are walking on city streets.
If the orientation modules installed in guide tiles on streets are touched by a white cane, the location-related information is emitted over earphones and gives users audible directions, according to the design team.
The iF Product Design Award, one of the world’s top-three international design contest exhibitions, was introduced in 1953 and is annually conferred by the iF International Forum Design.
This year’s newly launched iF Public Value Student Award competition attracted a total of 33 entries aimed at improving living conditions and offering solutions to pressing issues, such as climate change and aging societies.
The award ceremony took place in Munich, Germany, on Tuesday.
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