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Design for the Apocalypse: the Dubai Global Grad Show

At the Dubai Design Week, more than 200 students from all over the world responded to global emergencies through design. We saw them all, here is an overview.

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It is Dubai Design Week and the Global Grad Show talks Apocalypse. According to what is on, it seems like days are over for design that sparkles. It is time to take a position and acknowledge where the world is leading to, rather than looking after sterile abstract compositions and polished objects. We explored 200 final-year projects by design students around the world, and took note of a global tendency: Immediate response. The pressing issues of our time basically: access to education, food, shelter, community, energy and the on and off-line worlds. Today’s urgencies are social, environmental and political: sadly, they seem not to leave much space for long term speculations, fantasies and peaceful recreation.

TetraPOT, design Sheng-Hung Lee, Wan Kee Lee, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. a sustainable sea defense system made of concrete, organic materials and mangroves.
Zero Waste Packaging, design Austéja Platukyté, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania. Experimental packaging made of biodegradable algae-based material, fully compostable and usable as a fertilizer to retain soil moisture.
AlgiKicks, design Aaron Nesser, Pratt Institute, New York. A sustainable sneaker design derived from AkguKNit biomaterial.
Cell Pod, design Niko Räty, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland. Small-scale bioreactor that enables users to grow plant cells for food production at home.
First Bite Café, design Mahetzi Hernandez, Royal College of Art, London, UK. A food preparation environment that introduces children to insect eating through the act of co-production.
Blacklight Mirror, design Sandra Pihlak, Central Saint Martins ¬UAL, London, UK. An electronic device that highlights the extent of UV light damage to the user’s skin in real time
Img.1 Life Slide, design Fan Shizhong, Hunan University, Changsha, China. It reinvents the traditional fire engine by adding a telescopic rescue slide, crane and rescue ladder on top of the vehicle. The slide enables quicker and more efficient escape from high rise emergencies.
Img.2 Life Slide, design Fan Shizhong, Hunan University, Changsha, China. It reinvents the traditional fire engine by adding a telescopic rescue slide, crane and rescue ladder on top of the vehicle. The slide enables quicker and more efficient escape from high rise emergencies.
Clean Cath, design Souvik Paul, School of Visual Arts, New York. A catheter sterilizer designed to enable the reuse of single-use catheters. Users rinse the used catheter with warm water and place it into the body of the device. Closing the lid initiates the cleaning cycle by turning on short-wavelenght ultraviolet LEDs which expose the catheter to radiation, completely sterilizing it.
Onda, design Joca van der Horst, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. A decorative textile that purifies the air, constructed of fabric with a thin coating based on copper-doped titanium dioxide. When combined with this chemical coating, the textile uses daylight to create a reaction with pollution such as soot and odor, transforming them into harmless water molecules.
All PET Shoe, design Jules Mas, ECAL Lausanne, Switzerland. A fully recyclable shoe designed for football players.
The Waterfront Tanks, design Badih Rameh, Notre Dame University Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. An adaptive design that re-uses abandoned oil silos, for a post-petroleum future in which ouil refineries and silos are obsolete.
ThermApparel, designed by Kurtis Kracke, Brad Dunn, Crystal Mendoza Paulin, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA. A collection of lightweight, flexible garments, worn discretely to keep users cool. Meant for people who live with some form of heat sensitivity, limiting their ability to cope with natural temperatures.
Img.2 ThermApparel, designed by Kurtis Kracke, Brad Dunn, Crystal Mendoza Paulin, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA. A collection of lightweight, flexible garments, worn discretely to keep users cool. Meant for people who live with some form of heat sensitivity, limiting their ability to cope with natural temperatures
UNU, design Franco La Puente, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima. A sustainable and autonomous water purifier, enabling accesss to clean water in low-resource communities, though evaporation and condensation. Burning wood placed underneath the device causes the contaminated water to evaporate. These rising vapours then lash with the cooler cover, enabling condensation. The condensed and purified water then drips into a smaller, internal container.
H2Wall, design Lucas Ruffinengo, National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. A water dispensing device that allows the controlled consumption of water.
B Drone, design Sohn Jeong Hwan, Samsung Art & Design Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea. An earthquake rescue system designed to optimize the first 72 hours of search time.
B Drone, design Sohn Jeong Hwan, Samsung Art & Design Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea. An earthquake rescue system designed to optimize the first 72 hours of search time.
Rolar, design Nathan Webb, Royal College of Arts, London, UK. A series of blinds that capture and store solar energy.
Squamat, design Alexandre Larnac, L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique, France. A multi-purpose, electric vehicle for mountain sports, inspired y climate change and the decreasing amount of falling snow on mountain resorts.
The Bath Boat, design Claudia Brewster, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. A toy that aims to reduce the amount of water used during children’s bath times.
Loight, design Zahra Chiaci, Art University of Isfahan, Iran. A rechargeable lamp for use around the home. Designed to reduce the use of electricity, it can be carried everywhere, without leaving the lights on when walking from room to room.
Agbee, design Naoya Takei, Shotaro Fujii, Ayame Kano, Keio University, Graduate School of Media Design (KMD), Yokohama, Japan. A robotic farming assistant, designed to aid farmers in the harvesting process.
Argonaute, design Edouard Samson, Strate School of Design, Sévres, France. A rescue vehichle designed specifically for skyscrapers.
Thermo Pod, design David Aguilera Martínez, Jesús Manuel Díaz Vivanco, Ibero-American University, Mexico City, Mexico. A food and beverage cooler powered by clean energy that can safely cool and store food and drinks through sand, a water system and evaporation.

Post-climate and disaster. In the time of rising sea-water levels, temperature, pollution, and natural cataclysms we might need or want to use fancy garments to keep our bodies cool when temperatures touch 53°, or store beers in coolers powered by sand. May an earthquake occur, several high-tech drones will be ready for rescue operations even on the world’s tallest skyscraper. When going back home, we could stare at a mirror that highlights the extent of UV light damage on our skin, and water would pour from a tap that tells us how many liters we’re allowed to use. Our roofs and gardens will necessarily host digital devices for the reproduction of bees, and organic food will just mean growing plant-cell jellies with artificial flavors. True Matrix. Kids will only use half the bathtub and play cooking with insects. No electric lighting in our rooms but only portable rechargeable lights. Window blinds could store solar energy and art paintings will purify our living room. If we’re lucky enough, algae might save us all through biodegradable natural packaging, sneakers and soccer shoes. Mangroves used as planet heroes that keep soil from eroding, and skaters will be able to show off their skill in abandoned petrol silos. With less snow, skiing is replaced by hardcore electric vehicles.

A.R.C.Headgear, designed by Alex Teo, National University of SIngapore. ARC is a breakthrough in protective headgear designed to reduce traumatic head and brain injuries associated with intense combat sports.
Refugee Protection Guide, design by Amal Atassi, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. A design strategy that delivers assistance to refugees travelling across Europe.
Polyglossia, design Tony Cho, Royal College of Art, London, UK. A human-centered voice assistant designed to break down language barriers in hospitals. Interviews with migrants and their families show that many mistrust, or misunderstand, clinical advice due to difficulties in doctor-patient communication.
Loga: Mobile Employment Empowering Refugees, design Alexander MacKay, Chris Wheeler, William Held, Utku Unlu, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE. An app that enables refugees to earn a meaningful wage by digitizing Arabic language documents using their smartphones. The app converts Arabic text images into highly accurate transcriptions that can be copied, edited, and searched.
Tear Gun, design Yi-Fei Chen, Design Academy Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A device that allows users to shoot their tears as and act of self-defense. Tears are collected and then piped into a small bottle where they are frozen, and loaded into the gun where the frozen bullets can be fired.
Voyageur, design Alice Huchón Colunga, CENTRO, Mexico City, Mexico. An ergonomic jacket designed to improve posture while travelling, through inflatable elements which serve as cushions.
The Loss of Words, design Basma Ayman El-Naggar, German University in Cairo, Egypt. An online platform that preserves the cultures of endangered languages. According to some estimates, a native language goes extinct every two weeks.
3D Printed Manual Centrifuge, design Wen Hua, Allie Miller, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. A low-cost, hand-operated centrifuge for biologists and chemists for low-resource health labs across the world.
Saathi, An Educational Aid, design Shubham Sultania, Pearl Academy, New Delhi, India. A multi-purpose school bag that doubles as a reading and writing surface for students in the rural areas of India.
Rescued Home Project, design Callahan Tufts, Emily Carr Uniersity of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada. A strategy for a new recycling stream that funnels discarded building materials to fuel new housing construction.
Kanga: Mobile Resuscitation Kit, design Darja Wendel, Umeå Institute of Design, Sweden. A mobile resuscitation kit that aims to streamline the process of resuscitating infants born with breathing difficulties.
Img.1 Portable Delivery Stool, design Amar Nath Shaw, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland. A birthing device that provides a safe delivery method for off-site and accidental childbirth.
Img.2 Portable Delivery Stool, design Amar Nath Shaw, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland. A birthing device that provides a safe delivery method for off-site and accidental childbirth.
Cocoon, design Nico Landis, Zürich University of the Arts, Switzerland. An all-in-one sleeping device that combines the functions of a sleeping bed, insulating mat and tent.
Travecular Tectonics, design Roerto Naboni, POLI.design, Milan, Italy. A sustainable 3D print system of lightweight architectural structures based on the biological construction of bone.
ASA, design Isabel Corção , Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A customizable backpack for the mobile photographer: waterproof and safe.
Water Filter Bottle for CRPF Jawans, deisgn Devanshi Saksena. A manual water purifier designed for soldiers on the march in remote areas.

Displacement and war. Urban fighters will have breakthrough protective headgears and soldiers will purify water in special bottles. Your tears will turn into bullets to shoot. Cities will build prefab houses with discarded building materials, whereas a portable stool will allow for safe off-site childbirth. Children’s backpacks can be instantly transformed into studying environments no matter where, and refugees will be given a Protection Guide for assistance anywhere. An online platform preserves the cultures of endangered languages and, in case of escape, sensible documents can be quickly stored in protected digital files. Oh, and if you don’t know how to say “diabetes” in dutch, an app will break down language barriers with your foreign doctor.

Door Camouflage, design Cody Calamaio, Pratt Institute, New York. A pop-up photo display shelf made of soft cardboard to prevent alzheimer’s patients from wandering out of their homes, by disguising the door and recalling memories.
Dirty Dog, design Lauren Lee, Pratt Institute, New York. A bath time companion kit, designed to improve the bathing experience of Alzheimer’s patients for whom bathing is often a frightening activity that compromises dignity and privacy. The kit places the sponge at the center of the experience: when applying the charcoal soap to the dog, it appars to become dirty, shifting the focus from taking a bath to washing the dog.
Hug Chair, design Napat Petcharatana, Pratt Institute, New York. A chair cover designed to provide comfort and affection for Alzheimer’s patients.
The Pillbox for Clothes: A Clothing Organizer, design Aaron Ethan Green, Pratt Institute, New York. A clothing display system that aids organization for those with Alzheimer’s desease. For many Alzheimer’s patients, remembering to change clothes is a challenge. Users load clothes a week in advance, with the aid of a caregiver, and use the colour-coded arrangement to identify which clothes are clean and ready to wear.
MIKO+, designed by Ewa Dulcet and Martyna Świerczyńska, School of Form, Poznań, Poland. A line of jewelry that combines aesthetics and physiotherapy.
Moka, design Victor HU, Marine Gokelaere, Strate School of Design, Sèvres, France. A device designed to prevent people from contracting diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. It attracts and vaccinates the mosquitoes by introducing an antibody, inhibiting their ability to spread diseases.
Enteros, design Yashvi Vira, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. An Enteral Tube Feeding (ETF) system that reduces difficulty in feeding and eases reliance on caregivers. Designed in response to the rising home usage of feeding tubes and its associated challenges.
BVKit, desugb Nargaret Nanyombi, Were Douglas, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. A device and accompanying app that allows women to test for vaginal infections at home.
Myo Five, design Aina Morell, UPC BarcelonaTECH, Spain. Upper limb robot-like prosthesis for children between 6 and 18. The design uses the electric properties of muscles to power itself.
Sanctum, Joscha M. Herold, University of Applied Scineces, FH Joanneum Graz, Austria. An advanced system for the transportation of donor hearts, built upon the Organ Care System, a method designed by Transmedics to keep organs in a warm functioning state outside of the body.
Folks Kitchenware for the Blind, design Kevin Chiam, National University of Singapore. A system of kitchen utensils designed to aid the blind.
Cook&Feel, design Lise Eymerit-Morin, Strate Schoool of Design, Sèvres, France. A collection of kitchen aids designed to ease the cooking process for the blind.
Tactuitive, design Ng Tsian Wah, Nanyang Technologiacal University, Singapore. A collection of tactile tableware to help the visually-impaired distinguish between similarly shaped vessels.
Looking Without Seeing, design Said Ahmed, Seifallah Jardak, Mohamed Slim Alouini, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. A wearable device that enables visually-impaired users to detect obstacles and plan routes.
Flashlight, design Chorock (Green) Park, Rhode Island School of Design, USA. A mobile platform that helps to plan inclusive travel experiences for wheelchair users.
Noko, Hannah Fürtenberg, Zürich University of the Arts, Switzerland. An intuitive device designed to enable natural contraception by measuring the user’s basal body temperature and communicating this information through a simple two-coloured interface: green and red.
Img.2 Noko, Hannah Fürtenberg, Zürich University of the Arts, Switzerland. An intuitive device designed to enable natural contraception by measuring the user’s basal body temperature and communicating this information through a simple two-coloured interface: green and red.
Adapshoe, design Xin Liu, Fan Zhang, Ho Jin Hao Daniel,Melissa Tan Rui Lin, Cheng Yao (advisor), Fangtian Ying (advisor), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. A footwear collection based on the healing properties of acupressure and reflexology.
Img.2 Adapshoe, design Xin Liu, Fan Zhang, Ho Jin Hao Daniel,Melissa Tan Rui Lin, Cheng Yao (advisor), Fangtian Ying (advisor), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. A footwear collection based on the healing properties of acupressure and reflexology.
Inclusive Car Interface, design Oliwia Przybyla, School of Form, Poland. A modular dashboard customizable to individuals’ needs, inspired by the regular exclusion of disability requirements in car interfaces.
Velcro Wall Covering, design Branden Young, Pratt Institute, New York, USA. A wall-hanging tool for patients for Alzheimer’s and dementia, that uses Velcro tiles that can be attached anywhere.

Diseases of our times. Our brain has not evolved much since the mammoths roamed but external background noise did, tilting our mental abilities. Several projects deal with Alzheimer and how to face it as a matter of fact. How to detect it, how to playfully help someone who is affected by it, and how to cope decently with highly uncomfortable situations. Jewels might become physiotherapy tools, prosthesis for kids might look a bit cooler, and transplanted hearts might travel more safely than today. Simple tools will let women test the presence of vaginal infections, ovulation period and garments such as shoes will provide accupressure and reflexology. Office chairs will stimulate our emotional center, and a series of well conceived designs might help the visually impaired to better cook and move through busy environments. In case needed,  a small dashboard that customises your car according to your disability requirement may be used, e.g. for the hearingly or visually impaired. A small shield will attract mosquitos and vaccinate them to prevent people from contracting diseases from bites, and a pencil-case shaped tool will enable the reuse of single-use catheters.

Touché, design Marie Tricaud, Royal College of Art, London, UK. A set of wewearable devices that provide a tactile dimension to musical composition and performance.
MusiPants, design Khaled Samy and Farida Sherif, German University in Cairo, Egypt. A unisex trouser with drumming pads built into the legs.
atmoSphere, design Haruna Fushimi, Daiya Kato, Youichi Kamiyama, Kazuya Yanagihara, Kouta Minamizawa, Kai Kunze, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD), Yokohama, Japan
Makina Murmuro, design Juhong Park, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea. A mechanical device that encourages the user to “space out”, designed in response to the overloading of the modern brain with mostly useless information.
Project Shiva, design Peter Lowe, Dr. Kenneth Salisbury (advisor), Stanford University, California, USA. A wearable robotic arm that enhances human capability.
Img.2 Project Shiva, design Peter Lowe, Dr. Kenneth Salisbury (advisor), Stanford University, California, USA. A wearable robotic arm that enhances human capability.
Stewart II, design Felix Ros, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. A tactile interface between a passenger and his or her autonomous car.
Treasure, design Sam Roots, Royal College of Art, London, UK. A device that aims to negotiate the gap between impulsive and rational spending. The device requires a pattern-based authentication that changes each time, adding an extra challenge to the automatic reflex associated with PIN codes, encouraging the users to second-guess the frictionless spending incurred through the “one-click” buying and contactless transactions.
KooKoo, design Xumeng Mou, School of Visual Arts, New York , USA. A seven-second timer designed to help indecisive users make intuitive decisions. The concept was inspired by studies conducted at the Max Planck Institute that found that decision are made seven seconds before conscious awareness.
Img.2 KooKoo, design Xumeng Mou, School of Visual Arts, New York , USA. A seven-second timer designed to help indecisive users make intuitive decisions. The concept was inspired by studies conducted at the Max Planck Institute that found that decision are made seven seconds before conscious awareness.
Sensei, Dajinder (DJ) Sanghera, Royal College of Art, London, UK. An assistance platform that connects users to either a human expert (Sensei) or an artificially intelligent instructor (Sensei-Bot) for real time guidance, through a headset.
Moove, designed by Yasunori Morinaga, ECAL University of Art and Design, Lausanne, Switzerland. An ergonomic office chair designed to stimulate the emotional centre of the brain and enhance energy, focus and creativity.
Scroll, design Nathaniel Martin, Royal College of Art, London, UK. A wearable devicefor controlling Augmented Reality (AR), making it easier, enabling the user to visualize and manipulate their digital experience in physical space.
Smile Mirror, design Berk Ilhan, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA. A smart emotional mirror that allows users to see themselves only when they smile. Initially designed for cancer patients, it aims to remind and encourage people to smile more often.
Betanomics: Redesinging Currency for the 21st Century Entrepreneur, design Raadiya Lüssi, Zürich University of the Arts, Switzerland. A system for generating startup capital without institutional investment, where value and trust are the most valuable assets, and time is the only currency.
Awair design José Gallegos Nieto, Miguel Cabral Guerra, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. A personal table that signals the intentions of the artificial intelligence in driverless vehicles.
Scift, design Mantas Palaima, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. A shape-changing interface for semi-autonomous cars, inspired by criticisms of digital interfaces that claim that the dashboard touchscreen is just as distracting as playing with a smartphone or tablet while driving.

No place for humans. Use your third arm to hold music lines while playing the violin and detox your overloaded brain observing a mechanical device that places your mind into a meditative state. Mirrors which won’t reflect your image unless you smile, and when in doubt, a tool will force you to make decisions in seven seconds. Music becomes tactile with sticky pads to place all over your body, while drumming pads trousers will allow you to Keith Moon anywhere. A special desk can provide the tactile feedback of what your driverless car’s intentions are, and a ring lets you plan your life in augmented reality, just by scrolling. Whenever uncertain on how to solve a practical situation, a small head camera will connect you to human or non-human experts. Finally, fight impulsive money spending with a device and download apps to avoid using monetary systems. It just seems like young designers want us to be properly prepared for a near apocalypse.

Directed by independent writer and designer Brendan McGetrick, the Global Grad Show is a non-profit initiative started in Dubai back in 2015. It features projects from 92 universities in 43 countries and every project is represented by its author. A global design-student gathering. As McGetrick explained, the show celebrates Dubai through innovation for all with the purpose to promote equality, exchange and social impact. The projects have been structured through three main groups, rather than sectioned by geographic zones or schools: Empower, Connect and Sustain.

  • Global Grad Show 2017
  • Dubai Design Week 2017
  • Brendan McGetrick
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