- TOP
- Research
- Research at Kyushu University
- Art and Design
- Recent Studies at the Faculty of Design
- Industrial Design Practice
Research Projects and Initiatives
Recent Studies at Faculty of Design
Industrial Design Practice
Department of Strategic Design, Faculty of Design
SUGIMOTO Yoshitaka, Professor
Industrial design is the design of all things related to industry. As industry changes with the times, the domain of industrial design also changes with industry. In Japan, when the manufacturing industry was expanding and developing, industrial products were the main focus of industrial design. Today, industrial design covers not only industrial products, but also UI/UX, services, living environments, business, and social systems, and so on.
Industrial design is closely related to industry and social activities, and industrial design cannot be said to be fulfilling its role unless the ideas and theories devised in the laboratory are implemented in society. Therefore, Sugimoto Laboratory conducts practical design research aimed at social implementation.
Fig. 1 is a completely new oral irrigator that cleans the entire oral cavity with fine bubbles simply by placing the mouthpiece in the mouth, greatly reducing the burden of oral care, especially for those who require nursing care and caregivers. To make it easy for require nursing care to use, we evaluated the user from an ergonomic perspective and created a body shape that is easy to hold both on the upper and lower sides.
Fig. 2 is a collaboration between students and local companies in local industries and traditional crafts, with the cooperation of MUJI, to design tools useful for daily life while solving the problems and issues of local companies. Starting with the event at MUJI in September 2023, the products are still being sold continuously by the respective companies.
Fig. 3 is a series of notebooks that are easy for students to study, developed based on students' specific complaints and inconveniences with existing notebooks and their own ingenious ways of using them. Currently, the notebooks are sold at about 40 stores, mainly major mass merchandisers in Kyushu, and have been extremely well received.
Fig. 1 oral irrigator
Fig. 2 design of local industries and traditional crafts
Fig. 3 series of notebooks that are easy for students to study
■しかくContact
Department of Strategic Design, Faculty of Design
SUGIMOTO Yoshitaka, Professor