Technology Meets Art in “Design Thinking” Course Co-organized by HKUST and China Academy of Art
A creativity-driven course jointly organized by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the China Academy of Art (CAA) came to a close with a presentation on the students’ inventions.
Prof Ravindra GOONETILLEKE, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management at HKUST, said, “This program is a unique opportunity for HKUST students of different majors to come together and interact with art and design students from Mainland China to produce inventions that reflect their respective talents.”
Mr Jin TIAN, Lecturer in intermedia art from the China Academy of Art, said, “The theme of the designs this year is ‘Smart Health’ and this is a very important issue in today’s world. Our students deeply treasure the opportunity to acquire new ideas and insights from Hong Kong and international students through this program.”
This is the fifth year this “Design Thinking” course is offered jointly by HKUST and CAA. While the CAA students are from either design or intermedia art, the HKUST students come from a diversity of disciplines, from humanities to science and engineering.
The program this year is attended by 18 students from HKUST and 20 students from CAA. They first attended classes for two weeks at CAA in Hangzhou, then they met in Hong Kong for two weeks to work on their selected project. This year there were 9 projects, with each team comprising 4 or 5 students.
One of the teams “Wolo” produced a device for monitoring the health condition of a baby or small child and sending a signal to his or her parents through a ring that will turn hot should a health irregularity appear. The device incorporates a sensor for heartbeat and temperature, and when an irregularity appears a hot signal is sent to the mother and father through a special ring that their wear. There is an app that monitors these data and also provides a behavior record and even information on the nearby hospitals.
Another team “JiaJia” designed a set of three rice bowls for parents and their children living apart. Each time hot rice is put into the bowl, the change in temperature in one bowl will send a signal to the other two bowls, and a light will lit up. When all the three lights are lit, it means that all three members of the family are having their meal at the same time, despite the distances apart.
There was another team “Holo Cup” that produced a drinking glass that can show nice sea creatures whenever a glass of water is taken. This will encourage the user to drink enough water and ‘win’ the lovely images.
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