IDE students showcase health design project at UN Climate Change Conference
A team of five master's students from the TU Delft | Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering’s Integrated Product Design (IPD) master’s programme was selected to present their project, KUKUA, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. KUKA is a diagnostic device which detects early malnutrition of children in rural areas in East Africa. Their project was developed as part of the Advanced Embodiment Design (AED) course and was selected from more than 3,000 applications across 710 universities from 108 countries to participate in the Prototypes for Humanity exhibition.
The Team
The project was developed by IPD MSc students Ariadna Izcara Gual, Carlota Muñoz Ruiz, Gou Xuan, Julia Arntz, and Nidia Béjar Kurtin.
About KUKUA
In collaboration with the Inclusive Global Health Lab and the Red Cross Kenya Healthy Start, they designed a portable device that health volunteers in rural areas can use to monitor growth in children aged 0-5. In these areas, malnutrition is the cause of 45% of child deaths.
Resembling the shape of a bottle-sized Swiss army knife, the KUKUA smart device allows users to configure its components into various measuring setups. Coupled with an app, it helps measure and analyse essential growth indicators like weight, height, and MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference).
KUKUA aims to minimize the effort required by volunteers and improve overall healthcare for these young children. IDE professor in Inclusive Health Jan Carel Diehl notes: “KUKUA demonstrates how smart technology can provide access to basic healthcare in rural Africa”.
The Prototypes for Humanity exhibition
The project was selected to be a part of the Prototypes for Humanity exhibition at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). While at the COP28, the KUKUA team presented their work alongside other representatives from UNICEF. The aim of the exhibition was to offer tangible reminders of “how the challenges we face in climate change are also opportunities to foster a more resilient and equitable society”.
The students will remain in Dubai until 12 December and expressed their excitement about the experience. Carlota Muñoz Ruiz: “Being selected to exhibit our project at this conference provided us with unique opportunities for further development and has given us the chance to meet other brilliant students from around the world.”
After the conference, KUKUA will continue to be developed and tested in Kenya.
