DESIGN! THE FUTURE: Improving our future through design

An exploration of ways to improve the future through design. Discover designs that solve social issues, improve our homes, and promote health and sustainability using smart technology. An exhibition in collaboration with research institutes, universities and design groups.

Design! The Future introGwangju Design Biennale

Let's design the future

What will our lives look like in the future? Thoughts about the future conjure excitement and anxiety. But the future doesn't just happen - we make it. So we must take control and create the future we want. This exhibit asserts that design is a driving force to change the world. We'll also take a look at the smart technologies that experts think could bring about the fourth industrial revolution.

Curator Lee sung sik's interviewGwangju Design Biennale

Interview with curator Tony Sung-sik Lee

The exhibition presents projects suggesting how smart technologies can tackle future challenges. It consists of two parts - student projects and guest projects of professional designers. I, as an exhibition curator, strongly recommend the Jellyfish Barge project. Jellyfish Barge is a floating greenhouse for crop cultivation, able to purify water using solar energy. The world population is growing while arable land is decreasing. Jellyfish Barge is a new type of floating structure that can solve the problem of food security only with solar energy.

Open Kite Open Kite by Oh Se-hunGwangju Design Biennale

Open Kite aims to show people how sharing-based design can have a positive impact on their lives.

People can print the decorative kite with a 3D printer, and create the shape and size they want.

The Drinkable Book The Safe Water Book The Safe Water BookGwangju Design Biennale

This product uses filter paper to convert polluted water into drinking water.

The filter paper can remove 99.99% of bacteria in water, and just one sheet can purify approximately 100 liters of polluted water.

Smog Free Project Smog Free Project by Daan RoosegaardeGwangju Design Biennale

The Smog Free Project provides a local solution for clean air in public spaces.

Sharing a Smog Free Ring is the equivalent of donating 1,000 cubic meters of clean air to the city.

Jellyfish Barge by Antonio Girardi and Cristiana Favretto, PnatGwangju Design Biennale

The Jellyfish Barge is a floating agricultural greenhouse.

It promotes urban agriculture using a system that generates clean water and energy using only solar energy.

Real Prediction Machines by James Auger and Jimmy LoizeauGwangju Design Biennale

Now that everything can be interpreted as data, the future is no longer unpredictable.

Real Prediction Machines use big data and applies it to the home in order to enrich people’s daily lives.

Creation of Taste by Iris van Bossum and Fleur SimonsGwangju Design Biennale

Using a 3D food printer, this product provides specific nutrients needed by patients.

There is also a community platform on which patients can share tasty and nutritious 3D food printer recipes.

Lumos Helmet by Eu-wen, Ding and Jeff Haoran Chen, Bilal RajaGwangju Design Biennale

The Lumos Helmet makes bicycle riders clearly visible both at night and during the day.

The LED light on the helmet lets drivers know the speed of the bicycle, and has indicators.

Smart Home Self Life Style by Kim Eui-hoon and Jeong Wooramsol, Kim Hee-ju, Yoo Heonseok, Lee Haebin, Park Jusung, Jung Soen, Jin Hyojeong, Lee NahyeonGwangju Design Biennale

The Self Healthcare System is made from real moss.

The Green Wall can control the humidity of a space, purify the air, and generate white noise.

Happy Life Happy Life by Reyer Zwiggelaar and Bashar Al-RjoubGwangju Design Biennale

Happy Life works with profiling technology to gather and identify continuously changing data.

It analyzes the emotional state of a family member and shows the results.

Post/Biotics ToolkitGwangju Design Biennale

The Post/Biotics Toolkit is a set of tools that can be used to make antibiotics using materials collected directly from nature, freeing people from their reliance on pharmaceutical products.

The Fuel Station of Tomorrow by Federico Casalegno and MIT Design Lab, Eni ICTGwangju Design Biennale

Mobility in the Future

What will be the future of mobility? Let's take a look at the future of mobility through inventions and improvements that respond to the human desire to move freely from place to place, including visual media, three-dimensional models, real-life vehicles, and virtual reality.

Haven (2017) by Sam Philpott, RCAGwangju Design Biennale

Haven is an autonomous vehicle for people with mental illness.

Wearable Robots Wearable Robots by Klio Design (Kwak Jung-hwan, Yoon Jeong-che)Gwangju Design Biennale

This wearable robot exoskeleton assists the muscle movement of the user, helping empower people with physical disabilities.

Micro Mobility (2015) by Klio Design (Hwang Sunung, Park Hyunje)Gwangju Design Biennale

This customized mobility solution was created by using 3D printing technology.

The Open Structure Mobility Concept shows the future direction for personal mobility design.

AutonoME AutonoME (2016) by Javier GallardoGwangju Design Biennale

It was inspired by the concept of a wearable suit and was influenced by the appearance of scorpion.

The designer recognized that speed is an important sensation, and wanted to enhance the sense of joy in movement.

Autonomous Caddy Robot (2016) by Kookmin University Koh Yu-hoon, Kim Dae-hyun, Park Jang-soon, Tak Jin-taeGwangju Design Biennale

This autonomous transportation vehicle was designed for people who enjoy golf and other outdoor leisure activities, providing an autonomous vehicle capable of maneuvering.

Future of Shopping introGwangju Design Biennale

Future shopping

Technology can make shopping easier - artificial intelligence, speech recognition, cameras and machine learning can connect customers directly to merchants. In the future, self-sufficiency can be enhanced by the capabilities of products to 'self-manufacture'. 

scene of future shopping exhibitionGwangju Design Biennale

While this exhibition is merely exploratory, it provides a glimpse of how the next industrial revolution will change our lives and the economy.

GoCart GoCart by Lee Joo-hongGwangju Design Biennale

The GoCart is an autonomous and versatile delivery robot.

It carries out repetitive tasks and can transport heavy loads of up to 300kg at a time.

Google Cardboard by GoogleGwangju Design Biennale

Google Cardboard was Google's first virtual reality entry.

This inexpensive VR headset provides access to 3D virtual reality by simply attaching a smartphone to a corrugated cardboard frame with two lenses and a magnet.

Lost Luggage by Janne KyttanenGwangju Design Biennale

This project, entitled 'Lost Baggage,' offers an innovative proposal to create a travel kit from a single computer file, using 3D printing.

With a 3D printer, you can print everything you need right where you need it, no matter where you are.

XD‐X8U XD‐X8U by Jin JeonghoiGwangju Design Biennale

XD‒X8U is a drone created for public safety and disaster relief.

It features a multipurpose operating system capable of monitoring and providing reconnaissance over mountainous terrain, delivering relief aid.

Mini Post by Kim Tae-gwanGwangju Design Biennale

This drop box provides mail, parcel, and courier services, as well as payments and receiving goods.

Conventionally, remote drop boxes required Internet-connectivity.

Renewable energy exhibitionGwangju Design Biennale

Renewable energy

A look at the products, policies and studies exploring and exploiting renewable energy.With a better understanding of renewable energy, people are more empowered to make good decisions - both at an individual and a community and national level

Sol Bag (2016) by Samsung C&T Fashion DivisionGwangju Design Biennale

This clutch bag can harness sunlight and charge portable batteries and smartphones, making sustainable energy technology stylish and easy to use.

Panel system for the landscape-friendly photovoltaic power generation system (2016) by Choi Tae-okGwangju Design Biennale

The light collecting plate of the photovoltaic power generation system is exposed to the outside of the building.

Generally, it separates from the appearance of the building and follows the inefficient installation method not only from the visual point of view but also economically.

Current Window (2015) by Marjan van AubelGwangju Design Biennale

This colored glass generates electricity from daylight, and can even harness diffused sunlight.

The electricity that's generated can be used to power a whole range of electrical appliances.

Solar Paper (2016) by YOLKGwangju Design Biennale

Solar paper can reliably charge a smartphone in about 2.5 hours on a sunny day-which is about the same capacity as a wall charger.

PackLite Series (2013) by LuminAID (Anna Stork, Andrea Sreshta)Gwangju Design Biennale

The Packlite series was first developed to help refugees in Haiti after an earthquake.

it can be charged with sunlight or via USB, and it's waterproof, so it's useful in disaster situations as well as in outdoor activities such as hiking and camping.

Credits: Story

Curators : Tony Sung-sik Lee,Sang-jin Lee,
In-ho Song,Hyo-jin Yoon

Lim Jiin,Jeon Huin,Hwang Hoeeun

Roe Jaeseung,Jang minjung

Choi Areum,Han Boram

Park Dalsaem,Jeong Yubin,Choi Eunji

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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