Australian International Design Awards & Engineering Excellence

Pre-visit exhibition walkthrough

This exhibition walkthrough provides an overview of the:

• Physical layout and exhibition sections

• Key objects (click on the hyperlinks to go to the Museum’s online collection or other

online sites)

• Audiovisuals and interactives

• Relevant online teaching and learning resources

Australian International Design Awards exhibitionOn display are eleven remarkable design solutions picked by the Museum for their good design and innovation, sustainability and industry or market significance from a field of 105 finalists of the 2012 Australian International Design Awards.

AV: Judges speak5 min.

Deepsea Challenger

This 12 ton sub was designed and manufactured by four Australian companies, in partnership with Hollywood film director James Cameron.  It was able to safely take James Cameron 11 kilometres below the sea surface in March 2012, overcoming challenges similar to those faced in space exploration.

Battery

Lighting array

Weights 30 cm think acrylic lens

James Cameron’s

beanie

Foam cup attached to the outside of the sub

Isofloat®

syntactic foam

AV: Deep sea

exploration10 min.

Chappelli NuVinci

This a new type of urban bicycle that simplifies gear changing to enhance cycling. The bicycle's NuVinci® N360™ continuously variable drivetrain makes riding quieter, smoother and more enjoyable.

AV: Sea

Scoopa2 min.

Sea Scoopa This is a a new ‘man overboard’ rescue device approved by the Royal Australian Navy.

AV: Sea

Scoopa2 min.

MineLab F3 Compact Metal Detector

This is a compact, highly-effective mine detector for use by the military.

RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro

This is a broadcast-quality microphone for use with digital cameras.

UltraStudio 3DThis is a professional video-editing unit that can connect cameras, mixers, monitors and tape decks to operate at high speed.

ResMed Pixi Pediatric Mask

This is a pediatric nasal mask designed to treat young children with obtrusive sleep apnea.

SphygmoCor XCEL

This is a new cuff-based device for measuring central (aortic) blood pressure.

CoDé System®A wireless tagging system that ensures incorrect chemicals are not mixed together during transport and storage..

EchoPanel® MuraIt is a new designer wall lining made from recycled material.

Bung Plug

It significantly reduces the amount of contamination from organ discharge during the processing of meat, thereby reducing waste and ensuring Australia’s world-wide reputation for its high meat standards is upheld.

Engineering Excellence 2011 Award winning engineering projects selected by the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia

The Articulated Head

2010 Finalist, Research and DevelopmentThis interactive and playful system disarms and delights the audience and directs complex human-robot interactions in novel ways.

FlexgridTM

Bradfield Award Winner - the most outstanding project

It is an Australian engineered product developed by Finisar. It allows telecom carriers to easily route the huge daily volume of virtual information along specially designed flexible channels.

The Inner West Busway along Victoria RoadFinalist - Infrastructure projectsThis provided a new city bound bus lane, an additional three-lane bridge with a shared use path for the popular ‘Bay Run’ recreational route, and a traffic lane-change management system that would allow for the fast and clear transition between lanes, and an upgraded urban parkland.

National Gallery of Australia (Aboriginal Memorial Gallery)Finalist – Building & Structures The development and introduction of stable temperature and relative humidity conditions in and around traditional Indigenous log coffins and the engineered solutions to achieve these conditions, forms the focus of this display.

Engineers Without BordersFinalist – Education & Training The display features the development and introduction of a human waste bio-digester system for the floating river communities on the Tonlé Sap Lake in Cambodia.

The Safety System for the China Fast Train Project (President’s & Excellence Awards, Workplace, Health and Safety)This project uses specially designed cameras inserted into the track to warn the driver of a dangerous obstruction long before he would otherwise see it.

The Floating Solar ArrayFinalist – Engineering for Regional Communities The idea behind this project is to float solar arrays on water, to produce electricity and reduce water evaporation on small and large farm dams.

Online resources

1. Australian International Design Awards exhibition page

2. Good Design Australia

3. Engineering Excellence 2011 exhibition page

4. Australian Engineering Excellence Awards

5. Australian designers at work, meet & learn how designers work

6. Australia Innovates, an online guide to innovation in Australia’s industries

7. HSC technology syllabus support, case studies in design, technology and cultural diversity

8. Sydney designers unplugged, showcases seven Sydney product design studios

9. D*Hub, a gateway to the worlds best design collections and online magazine with news, interviews, opinions and ideas

Image credit: All images used are from the Powerhouse Museum

-: Powerhouse Museum Learning :-

Relevant education programs

1. Exploring the design process workshop for yrs 7–12

2. Exploring chair design workshop for yrs 7–12

3. Exploring lighting design workshop for yrs 7–12

4. The magic of materials workshop for yrs 7-12

5. Design inspired by nature workshop for yrs 9-12