10-week term project with the Umeå Fire Department
In this project the APD students conducted rapid ethnography
studies at the local fire station, following the fire fighters
during a working day. In the second phase the students were
introduced to a method of idea generation, which is used identify
and establish a number of "design opportunities." After this, each
student was asked to choose one of these design opportunities,
carry out any necessary further research and write a design brief
describing the problem to be solved, what will be achieved and how
it will be done.
The result was 10 different concepts providing potential solutions
for a wide range of problems and design opportunities such as:
Wearable tools for fires inside walls, personal safety equipment
for the smoke divers, a new type of nano-filtered breathing mask
for the fire fighters, lighter and more flexible cutting tools and
stretcher system for extracting people from an automobile accident,
a new concept for a smoke diving helmet with artificial enhanced
visibility and two concepts for mobile cleaning units for the fire
fighters and smoke divers work clothes and equipment.
External tutors:
Steen Mandsfelt Eriksen, Mandsfelt Industrial Design,
Denmark
Professor Pete Avondoglio, senior advisor for the APD
program
Michael Frederiksen, industrial designer and partner at Spindoc,
Denmark
Course responsible:
Thomas Degn, Programme Director for the APD programme
