QUT graduates shine at Australian Design Awards - 2005

13 October 2005

Queensland University of Technology industrial design graduates outclassed their rivals at the 2005 Australian Design Awards winning six of the 20 national prizes.

The annual competition is Australia's premier design awards that honour the best in innovation and design excellence.

Winning entries from QUT graduates were the Cox Stockman 2005 Lawn Tractor, the Sharps Collector RV255, the Standpoint, the Smart Console, the Vlocity 160DMU and the Tyco Ezigib Pipe Coupling.

Cox Stockman 2005 Lawn Tractor and the Sharps Collector RV255 With QUT graduates making up the entire industrial design team at CMD Product Design and Innovation it's no surprise the company achieved a double victory at the 2005 Australian Design Awards. QUT graduates Neil Davidson, Sharmeen Shahidullah, Mark Gilroy, Sam Canning, and Shaun Crossman assisted in the development of the two award winning products, the Cox Stockman 2005 Lawn Tractor and the Sharps Collector RV255. The lawn tractor is a driver controlled self-propelled lawn cutting machine suitable for both domestic and commercial markets. The Stockman can be used in all lawn and field care environments from manicured greens and private acreages to harsh Australian grazier and crop fields. CMD also won an award for its revolutionary new product that reduces the high risk of needle stick injuries to health professionals. The sharps collector is a container for the safe collection, storage and disposal of needles after blood has been drawn for testing. It removes two potentially hazardous needle stick operations from the traditional blood sample collection procedure through the use of vacuum retraction technology to retract a contaminated needle. The lawn tractor also won the prestigious Powerhouse Museum Section award for its design and innovative use of new technologies to provide significant benefits to users. Both products were nominees for the 2005 Australian Design Award of the Year.

Standpoint When construction rigs drill foundations deep into the ground, getting the angle right is paramount, according to IntelliDesign industrial designer and QUT graduate Jonathan Tighe. Jonathan was part of the development team on Standpoint - a product that measures the pile angle and depth during the drilling process and takes the guess work out of laying foundations. Standpoint was recognised as a novel solution to the need for fast, accurate, placement of piles in foundation construction. This is a problem that has beset geotechnical engineering for many years. Jonathan completed his undergraduate, postgraduate and masters through the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering graduating in 1998.

Smart Console The first simple to use audio visual editing console has been created with the help of QUT graduate industrial designer Ian Braithwaite. The Smart Console has been designed to both reduce the number of knobs on a panel and the number of actions required in order to gain access to out of reach controls. Ian, who works for Tiller + Tiller, said the Smart Console was a new breed of console that set a new standard of ergonomic efficiency associated with mixing and editing large numbers of channels. With a single touch, 800 previously out of reach controls are now at your fingertips. Ian graduated from QUT in 1999 after completing a Bachelor of Built Environment and Engineering (industrial design) and a Graduate Diploma in industrial design. The Smart Console was a nominee for the 2005 Australian Design Award of the Year.

Vlocity 160 DMU QUT graduate Brett Davidson understands the need for speed. In fact the industrial designer had a hands-on role in the development of the award winning VLocity 160 DMU - a train capable of travelling up to speeds of 160km/hr. Brett, who graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Built Environment and Engineering in 2000, works as an industrial designer for Bombardier. VLocity is a self-powered diesel multiple unit train designed to carry a total of 224. The exterior design is unique, modern, innovative and totally Australian.

Tyco EZIGIB Pipe Coupling QUT graduate Simon Fifield had a developmental role in a product that provides a fast and effective method of connecting pipes with equal or different outside diameters. Tyco Ezigib Pipe Couplings can be used to repair broken pipelines by cutting away a limited section and using Ezigib pipe couplings to reconnect the pipe. The product has a unique seal closing capability which forces a rubber seal against the outside diameter of pipes which can be wide ranging in sizes. Simon graduated from QUT in 2003 after completing a Bachelor of Built Environment and Engineering and a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Design and has since gone on to start his own consulting business, Simplist. Designs.

Media contact - Sandra Hutchinson, QUT media officer, 07 3864 2130 or s3.hutchinson@qut.edu.au