Q: As a student, it must have been very challenging to bring this idea to life. What was the main inspiration for this project?
I think most of the things worth creating are challenging and that’s why it is fun as well. I strive to do meaningful work and climate change is the biggest problem humanity faces. The aim is not only to reduce the harm of our consumption, but also to build highly efficient systems that are beneficial for our planet and society. With this project I wanted to show a vision of what such systems could look like.
Q: What were the first questions and concerns you thought about?
Whenever you have an initial idea for something completely new, there has to be a careful validation process in place. First you need to understand the nature of the problem and then assess whether the idea is the best starting point to address it. A central aspect at the beginning of the project was proving that the efficiency gains achieved by robots clearly exceed the effort and costs required.
Q: You won Emerging Product Design of the Year 2021. What does winning this award mean to you and how will it impact your journey moving forward?
I am very honored and grateful to have won this award. It is fantastic to see that the project resonates and is exposed to a huge public audience. I hope it inspires others to create more innovations that will lead us into a sustainable future. Moving forward, winning the ePDA is an extra motivation to follow my passion for industrial design.
Q: What was the single best moment during this design process?
I love the moment in projects when all the developed aspects merge into the final design and the initial idea becomes tangible.
Q: What was the hardest moment?
One challenge that I have grown a lot from was to distill an enormous amount of complexity in a relatively short time period. There are many aspects of solar energy production that needed to be assessed and understood before I could even think about the design of service robots.
Q: What was (is?) the best piece of advice you could give to other design students?
Everyone has a different journey, but I think it’s important for students to seek the unknown and craft new paths.
Q: Is there a new project in your mind for the future?
There are a lot of projects and ideas in my head. I have just completed two innovation projects for a medical technology company. Now I’m looking for new challenges that I can grow from. So don’t hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn.
