News

Click here to view recent publication highlights from our staff and students.

Wind turbines, solar panels, batteries. We are producing, consuming and distributing energy more locally. This offers opportunities to solve challenges like energy poverty. “But if we want to create just, fair, and successful energy hubs, we must make them understandable and relevant for everyone," says researcher Abhigyan Singh.

Curious about which of our researchers, educators, students, and alumni have been featured in the media recently? Then be sure to check out this week's "In the Media" article.

As expected, this year’s Dutch Design Week (19 – 27 October) has been filled to the brim with creativity, knowledge-sharing, and inspiration. A lot has happened over the last seven day, and there’s still more to come with three days left. Are you still planning to go? Then here’s what you should know and how you can see what IDE staff and students are up to at this year’s edition of DDW.

Two newsletters ago, we shared a story on the new master course Delft Lectures in Design by Virginia Tassinari, Gert Pasman, and Pieter Jan Stappers. The cross-programme course unites students and IDE researchers to discuss and design for IDE’s newest, most relevant research areas. Our communication team is following along to report on how it’s going. Read our article on cycle 2: ‘Systemic & Empathic’ to see the new batch of ‘provotypes’ (provocative prototypes) and read how Virginia and Pieter Jan reflect on their course.

The new startup Foamlab, grown from IDE’s Biodesign Lab, aims to revolutionise the plastics industry with a compostable bacterial cellulose foam. It offers a sustainable alternative to conventional oil-based plastics like polystyrene. Elvin Karana: “The new product is extremely lightweight and the mechanical performance is very similar to existing foams.”

On 15 October, the TU Delft Library unveiled two new additions to its Collection Wall. In collaboration with the TU Delft Library team, students from the IDE BSc elective course, Form & Senses, created multisensory reinterpretations of artworks from the TU Delft Academic Heritage collection. Visitors can experience the works on the upper floor of the Collection Wall until January 2025

Technically, it can be done, but in practice, it rarely succeeds: better matching the supply and demand of energy users to generate and use more power with the same grid. For her graduation project, TU Delft Odile Niers designed four interventions that succeed in initiating energy hubs in business parks. "We need to focus a lot more on social relationships," she says.

PostNL has released a stamp sheet on the occasion of international Stamp Day featuring two innovative and sustainable means of transport developed at TU Delft. The stamps feature alongside King Willem-Alexander, the WASP, a wind-assisted cargo ship and the Flying-V, an energy-efficient aircraft design for long distances.

This year's Dutch Design Week 2024 (19 - 27 October) features a range of work from TU Delft staff and students. Find out what’s happening below, mark it in your diaries, and see you there!

Researchers at Delft University of Technology and MIT have developed a novel 3D printing technique called Speed-Modulated Ironing, enabling high-resolution surface textures and colour gradients using just a single material. By using one nozzle to 3D print and the second nozzle to re-heat printed areas at varying speeds, the team controls colour and texture of temperature-responsive materials. The work is presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST).

Robots are increasingly able to perform simple tasks and convey messages. But they still lack many skills needed for interaction and communication. That is why researchers and artists are working together in the new research project Dramaturgy for Devices to improve robots' behaviour and communication skills. Marco Rozendaal: ‘The skills of artists are very useful to design robots that will function in our daily lives.’

“A sustainable food system does not come with even better meat substitutes, but with a balanced food culture.” Read the op-ed by PhD candidate and lecturer Anna-Louisa Peeters, where she shares her thoughts on the protein transition. She calls out to three main societal groups that can help us make a real cultural change in our eating habits. This peace was published in de Volkskrant last week.

Last week, a team from IDE attended the AutomotiveUI Conference in California. Hosted by Stanford University, IDE was well represented at the conference by SPD alumnus Akshay Rege, researcher Soyeon Kim, professor Nicole Van Nes, and assistant professor Euiyoung Kim – all of whom contributed to the event in different ways, e.g. podium presentation of a joint paper, hosting a workshop, and chairing a session.

Curious about which of our researchers, educators, students, and alumni have been featured in the media recently? Then be sure to check out this week's "In the Media" article.

Click here to view recent publication highlights from our staff and students.

We are glued to our screens. Televisions, computers, tablets, smartphones. They offer a world of possibilities and are – for the most part - easy to use. But what about people who are visually impaired or blind? Are their needs considered when designing these devices? No, says IDE alumnus Konrad Krawczyk. That’s why he created an AI-based voice assistant to help people with visual impairment learn digital skills.

Professor of Design for Inclusive Sustainable Healthcare Jan-Carel Diehl combines healthcare solutions with care for our planet. His many projects make an impact from Rotterdam to Sub-Saharan Africa. Where does he want to make a difference? What is he most proud of? And where lies the added value of a designer in the healthcare sector? Find out in this interview. Prof Diehl gives his inaugural lecture at TU Delft's Aula on Friday 11 October.

Click here to view recent publication highlights from our staff and students.

This autumn marks the introduction of IDE’s three renewed Masters programmes. One of the unifying features is a stronger link with the world-leading research carried out in IDE. “Delft Lectures in Design - Where IDE moves the Horizons of Design Research” is a case in point. This new cross-programme course serves as a rigorous and inspiring introduction to the broad variety of IDE’s research.

From 22 July – 3 August, 20 IDE master students, 8 committee members from the ID Study Association, assistant professor Rebecca Price, and professor Gerd Kortuem travelled to Japan for a unique learning experience. The group worked on cases for three global companies, Sony, NHK Spring, and Sekisui, each of which provided its own distinct challenges and insights.

At the end of June, IDE Assistant Professor of Strategic Design for Ecosystem Innovation, Marina Bos-de Vos, won two awards as a first author at the European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference for her research paper "Projecting for accelerating sustainability transitions: practices of joint value creation in circular economy programs".

Op 16 september onthulde burgemeester Marja van Bijsterveld officieel de nieuwe muurschildering ‘Cherished’, op de flat aan de Haydnlaan in Buitenhof. TU Student Virginia Facciotto deed voor haar master ‘Design for Interaction’ een half jaar onderzoek naar de vraag wat de waarde van een mural is voor de wijk: “De muurschildering kan zeker bijdragen aan een positief beeld over de wijk, maar dan moet wel het hele verhaal verteld worden.”

Two student-led projects (Biomeon and EDUSCOPE) developed at the TU Delft | Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering have been selected as runners-up in the 2024 James Dyson Award in the Netherlands.

IDE assistant professor Joana Soares de Oliveira Martins’ research project, “Can Ancient Cyanobacteria Save Our Planet?”, has received a €400,000 grant within the NWO's Open Competition Domain Science-M programme.

Curious about which of our researchers, educators, students, and alumni have been featured in the media recently? Then be sure to check out this week's "In the Media" article.

Click here to view all recent publication highlights from our staff and students.

How do we gently push travellers to explore more sustainable travel methods, such as trains? IDE alumnus Jenske Gosens dedicated her graduation project to figuring this out. Her recommendation? A neutral booking platform that assigns sustainability scores to different travel methods. “This platform both motivates and facilitates different kinds of travellers.”

Elvin Karana is a Professor of Materials Innovation and Design at the TU Delft, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering and a global frontrunner in the field of biodesign research. In this interview, we explore what inspires her to study at the intersection of biology and design. What the not-so-distant future holds for biodesign research. And what makes her research group so unique.

The ‘Code the Streets’ system is being developed to allow for road space to be used for different activities throughout the day. But how do we choose, in a fair way, what our roads will be used for? IDE alumni Fabian Geiser designed a system map that helps to embed stakeholder values like safety and inclusivity into navigation systems.

Design students Joep van Gils and Inès Peeters have designed a concept for a pre-order app that allows passengers to choose their in-flight meals in advance when they check in online. “This is a quick win and cost-neutral solution for airlines to fly more sustainably, reduce food waste and improve travel experience.”

For the first time, Delft Design students from the TU Delft | Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering participated in Stanford University’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering’s ME310 course. During which they collaborated with Stanford students to create MorphLock, a system designed for self-driving cars that uses particle jamming technology to lock objects in place.

Designers go out into the world to solve big picture problems. Issues related to sustainability, health or the energy transition for example. As a consequence, they encounter resistance to change. How do we prepare designers to be strong and capable? Discover research by Rebecca Price and Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer, and their 10 principles to guide designers in their own practice of building resilience.

Dream Team ‘Space Oasis Delft’ has designed a lunar village for 150+ residents. The dwellings have elements of biomimicry, contain a self-sustaining biosphere and simulate a day-night cycle as well as seasons. Smart design choices safeguard not only the occupants' safety but also their mental well-being.

Congratulations to John Clarkson, Professor of Healthcare Systems at IDE, who has been honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the King's Birthday Honours List 2024 for his services to Engineering and Design.