Industrial Design Studio Receives 10 Awards at the 2023 European Product Design Award
12. March 2024The Industrial Design Studio of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications (FMC) of Tomas Bata University in Zlín has received 10 awards at the prestigious annual international European Product Design Award 2023, which annually rewards the best designs and projects from all over the world. Every year, the international expert jury of the European Product Design Award, composed of prominent experts in the field, assesses design projects by professional designers in a total of 804 categories and in 149 Student categories.
In the Student category, Martin Kuchta, a graduate of the Industrial Design Studio, and his autonomous tram called Škoda ForFuture, designed in collaboration with the ŠKODA GROUP, received the Top Design Winner award in AUTOMOTIVE & TRANSPORT/Trams category. “We would like to sincerely congratulate the talented student of Tomas Bata University on winning the European Product Design Award 2023 for his innovative tram concept. At Škoda Group, we believe in the power of cooperation and in the importance of growth of a new generation of designers. Clearly, students are the driving force of progress. They bring new perspectives and bold ideas. We are honoured to be part of this journey and provide our expertise, which has helped shape the vision of what the public transport of the future could be like in smart cities,” said Laurent Fromont, Senior Vice President, Rolling Stock Engineering at ŠKODA Group.
The award-winning design of the ForFuture autonomous tram, which is designed for passenger transport in smart cities, uses a unique technological solution for connecting of vehicles, which provides a basis for a number of conceptual innovations, such as the design of the chassis platform, type of drive and power supply, autonomous operation, etc. The designed tram, which is 17 meters in length and has a capacity of 140 passengers, is able to connect with other vehicles during the journey and, if necessary, increase its total transport capacity. This technological solution makes it possible to assemble a tram from a total of three vehicles with a capacity of up to 420 passengers, whereas, in case of suburban connections, the capacity can be much higher. The tram is equipped with specialized technological systems which enable a precise and fully automated connection between multiple vehicles without collisions. When vehicles can be connected, the efficiency of using the common track section of different tram lines is significantly increased, which saves energy and is beneficial for environmental protection. At the same time, this technological solution enables the passengers to change fast and comfortably between lines even when travelling.
The design of the tram uses the concept of so-called positive lighting, which is reflected in studies on confidence in autonomous vehicles. This corresponds to the designed neutral vertical lights of the vehicle in combination with a friendly “smile” and various warning signals that allow communication with other drivers driving in front of or behind the tram, as well as with pedestrians. The award-winning autonomous ForFuture tram offers innovative solutions for smart cities and presents the future of efficient, reliable and sustainable public transport.
The AUTOMOTIVE & TRANSPORT/Cars: Electric and Self Driven Winner award in the Student category went to Michal Juráň for his electric Arrow car, designed in collaboration with the Kuberg company.
The AUTOMOTIVE & TRANSPORT/Bicycle Winner award in the Student category went to Michal Štalmach for Former, a growing children’s bicycle designed in collaboration with the Devoni company.
The AUTOMOTIVE & TRANSPORT/EBikes Winner award in the Student category was received by Tomáš Hořín for his QuickTime cargo bike, made in collaboration with FORT FRAMES and Cargio Industries.
The EDUCATIONAL/Educational Tools Winner award in the Student category was given to Štěpán Dlabaja and Tadeáš Kříbek for their AREALMS modular platform, using principles of augmented reality.
Two HOME (Household Products)/Home Furniture Winner awards in the Student category were given to Sabina Stržínková for her Tammi interior chair and the SABI interior table and bench, made in collaboration with JELÍNEK Furniture Production.
The HOME (Household Products)/Home Furniture: Living room / Professional Winner award went to Assoc. Prof. MgA. Martin Surman, ArtD., Head of the Industrial Design studio, and to his OVO interior chair, produced by Duchoň Design and Dýhy Večeřa.
Honourable mentions were awarded to Veronika Valušková for the AQUS beverage dispenser, designed in collaboration with Tescoma, and to Štěpán Dlabaja for the Katzegotchi electronic toy using artificial intelligence.
“After recently winning the prestigious Red Dot Award for the third time as well as the National Student Design Award GRAND, this is another of many great international accomplishments by the Industrial Design Studio and the Faculty of Multimedia Communications,” says Assoc. Prof. MgA. Martin Surman, ArtD., Head of the Industrial Design Studio, who personally supervised all rewarded projects, works, adding: “The Industrial Design Studio of the FMC of TBU in Zlín has long been actively involved in the presentation of its work at world design shows, regularly winning many prestigious awards. For us, such awards are a reaffirmation of our well-set strategy of studio teaching, which is based on close cooperation with manufacturing companies, and which enables students to be acquainted not only with the current requirements of the industrial sphere, but also with the most progressive technologies and materials, thus allowing our students to find innovative design solutions.”