Press Release
Startracks Educational Learning Toy by Zhejiang University Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
Zhejiang University acknowledged for toys, games and hobby products design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ Startracks Educational Learning Toy by Zhejiang University has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
More About Startracks Educational Learning Toy
Startracks is an educational board game about interstellar exploration, designed for children. The game teaches basic astronomy and physics through play. Rubidium magnets placed under the board simulate the gravitational pull of planets, so a small iron spaceship is drawn towards a planet when it lands. Players collect prop cards that carry astronomical facts and matching game skills. Two teams compete, and the first team to reach its goal wins. The board is made of synthetic wood and measures 500 millimetres in diameter.
About Zhejiang University
She has studied in the UK, the Netherlands and Singapore for many years. Her research direction is human-computer interaction and intelligent design. She has won more than 10 Red dot design awards, IF design awards etc. and published nearly 10 international journals and papers. She has participated in organizing the world industrial design conference, the world ecological design conference and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization ecological design leading class as the core personnel.
Award Record
This recognition makes Zhejiang University a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Award
The A' Toy Design Award is an international toy design competition recognizing good toy designs by best toy designers, manufacturers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to toy designers, game studios, industrial designers and hobby product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include dolls, action figures, board games, puzzles, plush toys and educational toys. Awarded toy designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/toy
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/149433
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/149433
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!149433
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/112694
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
- Startracks Educational Learning Toy
- Function
- Educational Learning Toy
- Category
- Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Kids
- Colors
- Dark Gray, Gray, Light Gray, Gainsboro and Silver
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Zhejiang University
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2022 - 2023
- Design ID
- #149433
Credits
- Team
- Leijing Zhou, Rui Lei, Yi Chen, Zhengtong Wu, Shaogeng Zeng, Minghong Xu and Yunnong Chen
- Image Credits
- Rui Lei Yi Chen Zhengtong Wu Shaogeng Zeng
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This is a board-based matchmaking board game with STEAM properties based on the story of interstellar exploration. The main aim is to educate children in the science of astronomy. The board uses rubidium magnets to mimic the gravitational pull of the planets and the game content is supported by basic knowledge of astronomy. Through the exploration of the planets, children can enlighten their knowledge of astronomy, physics and chemistry.
- Inspiration
- STEAM education for children is gaining more and more attention. In the field of science education, the knowledge of the science section of products involving the knowledge of cosmic astronomy is weak and of a single type, which does not allow for systematic science education on astronomy knowledge. At present, there are fewer products in the market that involve knowledge of the cosmic planets and planetary resources, and all of them have weak playability and complicated technology.
- Research
- Type of study: STEAM educational games suitable for the developmental characteristics of children aged 7 to 12 years Objective: To develop interest in learning astronomy and physics for children aged 7 to 12 years. Methods: Child development psychology, game design, human-computer analysis, CMF analysis Data collection: Play preferences of 7 to 12 year olds Use of research tools: Rhinoceros 3D, KeyShot, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PhotoShop
- Challenge
- How do we make interstellar exploration more intuitive? We made clever use of magnetic fields for analogies to the gravitational magnetic fields of planets, and the game mechanics are two-player versus two-player, with most of the other time spent on two-player versus two-player game mechanics designed to ensure a balanced game.
- Realization and Technology
- The launch and landing of the ship is done by the magnetic attraction of the rubidium magnets at the bottom of the board, thus achieving the sensory effect of the planet's gravity. The planetary resources are presented as prop cards with different planetary knowledge content and the corresponding formed functions. Board material: synthetic wood, rubidium magnets Board production process: cutting, drilling and grinding on drill presses, board gluing Prop materials: wood, plastic, iron Prop production process: hand cutting, 3D printing Prop card material: coated paper Prop card production process: colour printing
- Operation and Interaction
- A team lands by launching a spaceship (iron blob) which is attracted by the gravitational pull of the planet (rubidium magnet magnet). Upon landing on a planet, they receive a prop card for that planet, which is marked with different astronomical and physical knowledge and the corresponding game skills. The game is played on both sides by activating the skills on the cards, and the first one to achieve their goal wins the game.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project starts in March 2022 and is due to be completed in June 2022 in Zhejiang, China.
- Specifications
- Board: the diameter is 500mm and the thickness is 20mm Rubidium magnets: the diameter is 25mm and 20mm Prop card: the lenth is 80mm and the width is 60mm
- Keywords
- Children's educational toys, Astronomy education, Cosmic exploration, Magnetic games, Physics
