Press Release
Tensegrity Deployable Sensor for Disaster Area by Daniel Lim Wins the Platinum A' Design Award in Product Engineering and Technical Design
Daniel Lim honored for product engineering and technical design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Platinum A' Design Award in the Product Engineering and Technical Design category for Tensegrity Deployable Sensor for Disaster Area by Daniel Lim. The result belongs to the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined 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 Platinum A' Design Award
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
More About Tensegrity Deployable Sensor for Disaster Area
Tensegrity is a deployable sensor designed for disaster areas. Tensegrity is dropped from a drone to gather data for emergency response teams, including gas leaks, images and sounds from survivors. Rigid rods and nylon threads form a tensioned structure that absorbs the impact of a fall from more than 50 meters, so no parachute is required. Four collapsed modules are carried in a box under the drone and released over the site, where each module opens on landing. The sensor reaches places that people cannot safely approach.
About Daniel Lim
I am currently a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering working on solving challenges in industry using structure optimization. In addition to the engineering works, I also define myself as a designer working on multiple sectors of the product design.
Award Record
This recognition makes Daniel Lim a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Product Engineering and Technical Design Award
The A' Engineering Design Award is an international competition recognizing outstanding engineering projects by top engineers and consulting firms worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to product engineers, technical designers, industrial designers and industrial design studios from all countries. Entries typically include blueprints, prototypes, schematics, CAD models, technical drawings and machine designs. Awarded engineering designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/engineering
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission 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. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated 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. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates 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, the upload of a work and the 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. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/138805
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/138805
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!138805
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/321173
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
- Tensegrity Deployable Sensor for Disaster Area
- Function
- Deployable Sensor for Disaster Area
- Category
- Product Engineering and Technical Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Colors
- Goldenrod, Black, Silver, Khaki and Dark Goldenrod
- Images
- 4
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Daniel Lim
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2021 - 2022
- Design ID
- #138805
Credits
- Team
- Dr. Alice M. Agogino, Brian Cera and Deniz Dogruer
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Tensegrity sensor for disaster site, which could be dropped from the sky (drone) to gather information for the emergencyresponse crew (gas leaks, visuals, and audios). Once the drone arrives at the spot, many tensegrity modulesstored in a basket with an autonomous deployment system are deployed on multiple locations. The sensors can be delivered to disaster areas where humans are unable to approach.
- Inspiration
- Tensegrity structures are a type of stiff beam coupled with many strings that generate tension that can sustain the impact of a collision. Inspired by the structure, the sensor can be deployed from more than 50 m above the ground without the use of an additional device (parachute).
- Research
- This design is based on the tensegrity structure, which has sparked academic interest due to its energy absorption qualities with a specially constructed mix of rigid rod and strings. Through interviews and observations, we discovered that the quick reaction team frequently lacks the data required for the response plan, particularly in the case of a large-scale disaster such as a forest fire. Because drones have limited battery life and require pilot control to gather information, we developed tensegrity modules that can be easily deployed to many places in need of sensory input.
- Challenge
- Finding appropriate materials for the string was extremely difficult because it needed to offer enough tension as well as strength to endure the drop. Another challenge was the module's assembly, which required many stiff rods to be linked at the same time. We solved this problem by creating a 3D printed jig that holds the component in place during assembly and using nylon threads to give sturdiness as well as enough tension for the construction.
- Realization and Technology
- The tensegrity module's goal is to offer the response team in a catastrophe region with a range of data. This data contains auditory or visual alerts that may have been generated by survivors, as well as a collection of gas leaks that may have enabled focused response to prevent larger accidents. Enclosures for the current mudules are made with SLA 3D printing, and many wireless sensors are enclosed. Furthermore, commercial nylon threads were employed to give the necessary tension for the framework.
- Operation and Interaction
- Initially, four sensor modules are carried in a collapsed hexagonal box attached to the drone. When the drone approaches the point of interest (to collect data), the bottom panel of the box opens, allowing the sensor module to be dropped from a great height. The module rapidly deploys into the fully tensioned tensegrity structure, absorbing enough energy from impact with the ground. The module collects data for the reaction strategy by deploying various sensors.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in August 2021 in Seoul, Korea and finished in March 2022 in Berkeley, California.
- Specifications
- Maximum size of 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm when deployed, and 150 mm x 150 mm x 60 mm when collapsed.
- Keywords
- Tensegrity, soft robot, disaster response, emergency sensors
