After  over 4o applications for the Distributed Design Award, we chose 14 projects from the nomination pool of INDEX: Awards

Of the 14 shortlisted projects, three will be chosen as finalists by an internal jury. Finalists will be announced at the DDMP event in Amsterdam at We Make the City and will attend a special event in Copenhagen in September where the winner of the DD Award 2019 will be announced. The winner will be chosen by the DDMP Advisory Board. All entries to the 2019 DD Award are also entrants to the affiliate award, INDEX: Design to improve life, which will be announced in Copenhagen this September.

See all nominations for the DD Award 2019 here

Find more info about the Distributed Design Award 2019.

FOS: GLASSES OUT OF PLASTIC WASTE

Our products tend to be designed only up to their use phase. Once this ends, they become a waste management problem without a designed solution. Polymers are highly technical and so is the production of products with it. This renders most of the plastic waste generated worldwide unusable due to the limited availability of high technology processes in many parts of the world.

FOS is a brand of sunglasses made out of waste plastic using opensource, low tech tools that are easily reproducible. The products are made out of only one material to avoid they become a waste management problem at the end of their lifespan. Products, tools and molds are designed according to plastic waste’s properties, allowing for lower technology processes to be used. The intention is to extend the lifespan of these materials within a high value chain. Low tech tools allow for them to be reproduced worldwide and handcraft the products locally.

MOLE MAPPER: A SMALL TOOL FOR SKIN-CANCER PREVENTION

Mole Mapper is a small tool for skin cancer prevention. It can be used to self-check all skin moles, looking for warning signs.Throughout the years, is important to examine your own skin, in particular if you have many skin moles and fair skin. Self-exams can help you identify potential skin cancers early, when they can almost always be completely cured. For a successful self-exam you obviously need to know what you are looking for: that is the aim of Mole Mapper. It is a small tool, made with lasercut PMMA scraps, that summarizes what physicians call “the ABCDE of melanoma”, the warning signs to recognize changes in the moles on your body

With Mole Mapper you can:

• Check if your moles are bigger than 6mm

• Check if your moles are asymmetrical

• Be reminded to control moles’ borders, color, and evolution in time

• Easily snap a picture of your mole, to control it is evolution and dimensions

DIGITALLY SPEAKING: A SMART UNDERWEAR EQUIPPED WITH SAFETY TECH

Security is a major issue for women in India and across the globe. Every single day young girls, mothers and women from all walks of life are being assaulted,molested and violated. According to the statistics, 92 women on an average are raped in India everyday and around 60 % of the women get raped worldwide.Concerned about this state of affair we designed a smart underwear which is equipped with safety technologies (prototype stage)for safety of women.The user under distress can do a specific muscle movement which will trigger an emergency alarm and send distress message along with the users GPS location to 5 saved numbers of family and friends.Once the information is shared with the saved numbers, they can track the user down.The device can also record the sounds that is happening in the surrounding which can later act as a proof.To avoid false alarm,the user can press a button located on the waistband within 10 seconds which will cancel the whole process and won’t trigger the alarm.

VIVIHOUSE: DESIGN, BUILD, AND ADAPT A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Rapid urbanisation has led to environmental risks and limited citizen participation. With vivihouse, we make it possible for everyone to contribute to the creation of ecological and appealing urban living spaces. vivihouse is a modular building system designed for inclusion: It is DIY-friendly for makers and open source for designers. Residents will enjoy healthy and energy-efficient spaces while future generations can keep the resources in circular ecosystems. So far, the timber construction can reach up to six floors and can be adapted to local conditions, tastes, materials, climate and modes of production. Flexibility is ensured as all components are demountable, transportable and reusable. In 2018, we started with a single-storey prototype. In October 2019, a three-storey building will be presented to a larger urban population. With vivihouse we enable everyone to create healthy and vibrant urban settlements for themselves and all of us. Do not hesitate and become a part of it.

FANG: THE FANG DESIGN FOCUSES ON TO USE LOCAL WOOD MATERIAL IN THE MOST SUSTAINABLE WAY.

Fang is a bench made from Icelandic wood in local prisons and an example for experimental design. The vision is to work with the certainty that every project offers opportunities to create an exciting experience and an enjoyable environment, that improves the quality of life and our society.

GOMI DESIGN: WE MINE PLASTIC WASTE THAT IS NOT RECYCLED BY COUNCILS AND MAKE BEAUTIFUL TECH OUT OF IT.

Technology is one of the most unsustainable industries in the world. GOMI Design wants to show that there is an alternative way that utilises circular economic principles and complete waste materials to make technology products out of. The goal is to create beautiful minimal sustainable tech products made from flexible plastic waste that would have otherwise ended up in landfill, burned or end up in our environment. The design studio’s first product is a revolutionary bluetooth speaker made from plastic trash that would otherwise end up in landfill or the oceans.

BATCH.WORKS: NEW STANDARD FOR 3D PRINTING AND PRODUCT DESIGN, REVIVING THE POSSIBILITIES OF LOCAL PRODUCTION.

Batch.works is on a mission to providing a new standard for 3D printing and product design. We aim to revive the possibilities of local manufacturing using recycled & responsibly sourced materials. Our aim is to disrupt the production & manufacturing industry by streamlining the process in an efficient & eco-friendly way – controlling every step of design, fabrication and packing. For too long, these industries have been crippled by standardised, mass-produced products – that don’t respond to local demands. Our vision is to revolutionise these slow, rigid & costly manufacturing methods with a radically more efficient 3D printing process – the Batch.factory. We’re introducing a distributed production network – incorporating a Batch.factory facility in every capital which can 3D print on demand at a batch volume in your city. International designers can submit their designs for review to our platform Batch.market. We select the best and most innovative designs to produce and sell.

KATAPOSTE: REPAIRABLE AND OPEN-HARDWARE AUDIO SPEAKERS.

Kataposte designs and produces audio speakers that have three main characteristics : They are produced  in the local fablab and sold as kits that people can easily assemble. The design plan is published on internet with an open-hardware license (Creative Commons with Attribution) to create a community around the project. Furthermore common parts are used, which can be easily found, in order to be repairable and a long lasting object. The first model of Kataposte is a powerful nomad speaker that works on battery. It is meant to be used at home as well as being brought out to friends place or outdoor parties.

PLASTIC SMOOTHIE: A CREATIVE AND ACCESSIBLE PROJECT THAT GIVES YOU THE CHANCE TO RECYCLE PLASTIC.

Plastic Smoothie is an open and creative project with a very simple goal: giving plastic waste a new life. The starting point was the need to find an easy and affordable way to recycle plastic in a maker environment.

Project philosophy:

1. Affordable: we are trying to use electrical appliances for most of the project due to the reduced cost and availability.

2. Accessible: the machines should be easily found in stores or online and their use shouldn’t be difficult.

3. Open: this project is shared under a Creative Commons license and anyone can be part of it.

VIOLA’S BIKE: A CUSTOM MADE BICYCLE WITH DIGITAL FABRICATION

Viola’s bike is a custom-made project for a seven years old girl affected by neurological disorders. It is a 3-wheel bicycle with shortened cranks, ergonomic seat, back support and adjustable handlebar. All elements have been adapted from standard components. The steering system is made from a wheel hub, the structure is milled by phenolic birch panels. The 3D model is customised but it can be quickly adapted to other children with different disabilities and it is far less expensive than similar orthopedic support devices on the market.

PAVAN: PLASTICO A VISTA

Plástico à Vista is developed over a collection of Open Source resources such as Precious Plastic and other Open Educational Resources. The Project is aimed at forming a reproducible Educational Environment about the emergence of abolishing Plastic Waste and the importance of reducing it in Nature through inventive strategies, such as Precious Plastic. PAVAN is a Mobile Classroom and a Plastic Waste Treatment Station. All PAVAN modules are Open Source and licensed under CC-by-nc 4.0. These include the adaptation of the Precious Plastic Machines, the Activity Guidelines and files and the Furniture and VAN accessories and structure design. The project is now on the prototype phase and being developed by a team of Voluntaries and managed by a non-profit Association.

AALVOR: THE DISTRIBUTED MANUFACTURE SUPPOSES A CHANGE OF PRODUCTIVE MODEL MORE FAIR AND SUSTAINABLE.

Aalvor is a table lamp for ambient lighting in the home. The design has been inspired by the organic geometries of Alvar Aalto and the Nordic winter landscapes. Ice, water and wood coexist in this particular timeless Christmas tree integrating three, digital manufacturing techniques, to highlight its white main piece printed in 3D.