From Hanyang University ERICA, two student teams from the ‘Design Engineering Studio’ course taught by Professor Choi Jong-woo from the Department of Industrial Design have received major global accolades: the prestigious James Dyson Award and the Red Dot Design Award. Interviews with Professor Choi, Son Min-hyung(Department of Industrial Design, Senior)’s team, and Lee Han-woong(Department of Industrial Design, Senior)’s team, respectively winning the James Dyson Award Korea round and "Best of the Best," Red Dot Award, revealed the details behind their success.

Design Engineering Studio stands apart from conventional engineering-design fusion programs. Rather than a technology-first approach, this course is driven by ‘design thinking’ that directs the trajectory of engineering. Professor Choi explained, “My aim was to link Hanyang’s strong reputation in engineering with design to create synergy unique to Hanyang University.”

The class followed an IC-PBL (Industry-Coupled Problem/Project-Based Learning) model, simulating real industrial project settings with 번화가 토토사이트ated goals and stakeholder problem-solving. Professor Choi encouraged teams to freely explore topics and directions that fit their interests and strengths.

Professor Choi emphasized the ‘field’ as the starting point for creative ideas: “Meeting and interviewing users yields much deeper insights than online research, even though it can be more demanding. Both winning teams refined their ideas through interviews with their target users.” For competitions, it is critical to prepare strategies to capture judges’ attention quickly. Professor Choi advised, “Submissions must be visually simple and clear, but the teams should diligently address even the smallest errors at the same time.”

Son noted, “Feedback on defining our target’s ‘pain points’ throughout the class was extremely valuable, and the professor’s engineering advice enabled us to complete and validate the prototype.” Lee added, “The course was about simplifying and clarifying ideas around the pain point, and the professor’s feedback kept pushing us to new breakthroughs.”

Son’s team won the Korean round of the 2025 James Dyson Award for a product that prevents blood reflux during intravenous drips. The project began from a simple personal experience: “Two team members experienced blood reflux when they were hospitalized, which raised our awareness of the problem. Later, watching the liquid flow stop when pinched the straw in coffee gave us a hint to the solution,” Son explained.

They designed a product for IV hoses that prevents blood reflux. “Blood reflux is resolved easily in practice, but its impact is often underestimated. In reality, it strains nurses and causes discomfort for patients. It was a real pain point,” Son added.

After their win on the national stage, Son’s team will compete internationally with teams from 20 countries. They highlight the product’s sustainability: “It reduces extra labor for medical staff, cuts waste and drug loss, and provides stable infusion experiences for patients.”

Now, the goal for the team does not end at the award but moves forward to commercialization. The team reflected, “This project taught us that design is more than aesthetics—it’s a tool for solving social problems. We want to use our skills as designers to create positive changes beyond campus.”

Lee's team won the highest honor, Best of the Best award, at the Red Dot Design Award for a ‘perch-type weighing device’ that reduces the stress for wild birds. “The most important indicator for health in a wildlife rescue center is weight, but forcibly restraining birds to weigh them can cause fatal stress,” Lee explained.

By integrating scales into a perch—a place birds sit most naturally—they solved the problem: rescuers can obtain data wirelessly without the need for physical touches, improving both efficiency and animal survival rates.

Team members cite the process with perseverance and passion as their greatest achievements. “We kept refining the project even after the semester, fitting in late-night meetings despite internships in different countries and work,” Lee recalled.

This achievement demonstrates Hanyang University’s unique strengths at the intersection of engineering and design. Professor Choi said, “Convergence across different fields is difficult, but the process leads to greater synergy. I hope these wins spark more collaboration between engineering and design at Hanyang.” The award-winning teams agreed: “Working with peers from different majors was an invaluable experience, with lasting benefits for each of us and as a team.”

In closing, Professor Choi told students, “Be proud of how much you’ve grown in such a short time. Break the stereotype that design is only art—become the kind of talent that fuses flexibly with other disciplines.”