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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

RDS Co., Ltd. Receives the Golden A' Design Award for Wf01tr Racing Wheelchair in Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design

The international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes RDS Co., Ltd. of Rds for vehicle, mobility and transportation design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design category for Wf01tr Racing Wheelchair by RDS Co., Ltd. of Rds. The recognition forms part of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the Golden A' Design Award

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

Regarding Wf01tr Racing Wheelchair

WF01TR is a racing wheelchair developed for short-distance track events. The design is lightweight and rigid, and supports high acceleration. Body hold and stability during cornering are improved. The frame is a carbon fiber reinforced plastic monocoque, designed with finite element analysis. Each unit is made to order. The seat position is set with a seat position simulator, and a three-dimensional scan of the body shape is applied to the seat. The aim is to help each athlete use their own abilities fully.

About RDS Co., Ltd.

CEO and the design director of RDS Co., Ltd. and the founder and the head editor of HERO X, Japanese web magazine about culture, para-sports, technology, and some.

About Rds

Product design and manufacturing company. Our main bussiness is CFRP product manufacturing for motor sport.

Award Record

With this recognition, RDS Co., Ltd. of Rds is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted in the 2019 - 2020 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design Award

The A' Vehicle Design Award is an international vehicle design competition recognizing good vehicle designs by best vehicle designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to vehicle designers, mobility solution providers, transportation design studios and automotive engineers from all countries. Typical entries include cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, buses and trains. The awarded vehicle designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/vehicle

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Wf01tr Racing Wheelchair
Function
Racing Wheelchair
Category
Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
Discipline
Industrial Design
Industry
Automotive
Colors
Dark Red, Lavender, Black, Dark Slate Gray and Dim Gray
Images
5

The Recognition

Laureate
RDS Co., Ltd.
Country
Japan
Brand
Rds
Recognition
Golden A' Design Award
Edition
2019 - 2020
Design ID
#102191

Credits

Team
Tomoya Ito, fuRo, exiii design Inc., MAGNET Inc., makesense Inc., quod, LLC, honey l days and 1-10,Inc
Image Credits
RDS Co., Ltd.

Design Details

Unique Properties
A racing wheelchair developed and designed to maximize the athlete's own abilities and improve competitive performance. The design focusing on the short-distance event is ultra-lightweight, high-rigidity and high acceleration, while improving body hold and stability when cornering. The seat position is determined by the seat position simulator SS01, including the optimization of the rowing of the players, and the manufacture is done order made.
Inspiration
This project began from the development of a racing wheelchair for the Paralympic Games. As the development progresses, the design team began to understand the importance of having an athlete fit perfectly in the right place. In case of prototype for test, the seating position affected the record. And the obvious data has made us easier to understand experienced athletes and communicate with each other much more about wheelchair development.
Research
The development team intended from the outset to apply the findings from the development to other wheelchairs, exploring how to set up an efficient athlete's riding position and the structural design of a high performance wheelchair. In addition to driving tests and development of fabrication techniques based on prototype prototypes, we designed the frame using FEM analysis.
Challenge
The challenges in the development of the wheelchair were to flexibly adapt to the seat positions set for each athlete using the simulator, to achieve the rigidity and strength of a high performance wheelchair, and to give it a sleek styling while achieving a high level of productivity.
Realization and Technology
CFRP Monocoque Frame
Operation and Interaction
The operating procedure is the same as that common in competitive wheelchairs. 3D scanned body shapes are applied to the seat to enhance the sense of unity between the wheelchair and the athlete. Stable and high cornering performance without disrupting the athlete's concentration during competition.
Project Duration and Location
The project started in August 2017 in Japan and finished in September 2019
Specifications
Width 650 mm x Depth 2100 mm x Height 700 mm
Keywords
Wheelchair, Paralympic, Sports, Athletes, Carbon fiber,

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