The Next Generation of RCA Designers Showcased in Dubai at Global Grad Show 2017

Since launching in 2015, the Global Grad Show has grown to become the world’s largest student gathering. For the 2017 edition, over 200 graduate projects from 40 countries will be presented under the themes of Connect, Empower and Sustain.

The RCA graduate designs chosen for the Connect category demonstrate how design and technology can improve the ways we connect with each other and navigate the environments we inhabit. Care, by Vehicle Design graduate Anand Manohar Asinkar, is an autonomous vehicle designed to change with a family’s needs to safely transport a child at different ages. Specifically considering medical settings, Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) graduate Tony Cho has developed Polyglossia, a human-centred voice assistant which can help break down language barriers, improving the lives of migrants everywhere.

Other designs from IDE graduates bridge the gap between our digital and physical lives. Scroll by Nathaniel Martin is a wearable device in the form of a ring, that can be used to control and navigate augmented reality. Sensi, by Daljinder Sanghera, is a headset that can view and read the wearer’s immediate surroundings to offer assistance with specific tasks. Sam Roots has considered how technology can help financial planning and has developed Treasure, a device that negotiates the gap between impulsive and rational spending by providing an extra layer of authentication for certain purchases.

In the Sustain category, the work from three RCA graduates demonstrates how design can help reduce the impact we have on our environment and enable us to live more sustainable lives. First Bite Cafe by Design Products graduate Mahetzi Hernandez is a toolkit designed to encourage children to explore and learn about eating insects as an alternative to the environmentally damaging meat production industry. Recently awarded the James Dyson UK Award, Petit Pli by Global Innovation Design graduate Ryan Mario Yasin proposes an innovative solution to ill-fitting children’s clothing. This waterproof outerwear uses engineered fabric that expands bi-directionally to grow with a child from age three months up to three years. Also included in the exhibition is Rolar, a roller blind that captures and stores solar energy, designed by Design Products graduate Nathan Webb for those who want to use renewable energy but are unable to invest in solar panels.

The two RCA designs selected for the Empower category demonstrate how design innovation can enhance and augment our physical capabilities. The Reagiro by IDE graduate Reto Togni is a hands-free manual wheelchair that can be controlled by movement of the upper body. It offers a less laborious, intuitive motion technique and frees the hands of the user, so that they can hold items such as smartphones or umbrellas. A design on display by fellow IDE graduate Marie Tricaud, Touché, is a set of wearable devices that provide a tactile dimension to musical composition and performance.

Information about the other RCA events that are taking place during Dubai Design Week can be found here.