RCA London bestows prestigious Helen Hamlyn Award upon two HIT students

The winning project is the "Spiral Tripod" for Iddo by Omri Steinmetz and Yoav Dagan from HIT.

The winner was announced at the Helen Hamlyn Design Awards Ceremony held in London. The prestigious awards champion human-centred design and acknowledges the brilliant work carried out by "Fixperts" around the world. The award jury of the RCA (Royal College of Art) Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, chaired by their Director, Rama Gheerawo, selected the winning project based on the communication and cooperation between the Fix Partner – and the designer(s), ingenuity of the solution and quality of the storytelling.

The judges commented: “Our unanimous winner! An interesting and challenging problem was presented. Good engagement and testing was demonstrated. Great prototyping and solution was well resolved.” Project designers Omri Steinmetz and Yoav Dagan, students in HIT’s Department of Industrial Design, executed the project within the framework of the Fixperts course, under the supervision of Prof. Gad Charny and Dana Yichye Shwachman.

The product that the two designed is a small folding tripod which allows Iddo, a wheelchair-bound nature lover, to independently lift himself back into his wheelchair from a seated position like a bench or on the ground in a park – an act that is virtually impossible without assistance. The tripod has a handle that is capable of carrying his weight when moving from position to position, and easily folds away for storage on the chair.

FIXPERTS is a movement of designers which solve functional problems for people with disabilities and handicaps. The project is part of an international initiative that began in 2012 and is currently taking place in 23 institutions of higher learning in 12 countries around the world. The designers develop the solution in full cooperation with the "customer" (Fix Partner) they are helping. The course is led at HIT by Prof. Gad Charny, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Design at HIT.

Professor Gad Charny: "The course creates a unique opportunity for students to apply the skills they learned in class to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in a hands-on, practical fashion. It provides an opportunity for a powerful and empowering experience for all who take part in it.

Posted: 04/07/2022