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including Paro the fluffy white
seal built to help people with
dementia to communicate and
Jaspar the doll-like social robot
that teaches children with autism
to feel more comfortable with
social interaction.
He said there is enormous
opportunity for robotics to
empower power with disability,
but much work is needed to
make these technologies
accessible to all.
British Professor of Disability
Research at the University of East
Anglia, Tom Shakespeare, was
also hopeful of the opportunities
social robotics presents but said
ethical research must accompany
technological advancement.
“Relationships between care
Designer
lights up
T
asmanian furniture and
lighting designer Duncan
Meerding recently won
Best Floor Light Award in the
2018 DARC Awards.
Duncan attended the awards,
workers and people with disability known as the ‘Oscars of the design
are so important. I think relying industry’, in London recently and
on robots could change the way collected the award for his stump
we value this care,” he said. light design.
www.unsw.edu.au
He said winning the award was an
honour, especially given the award is
Duncan has a strong connection
judged by more than 6,000 industry with sustainability in design, with
professionals. his log-based designs made from
“Having so many of my peers
voting for my stump design in such
an international voting system, really
makes me feel honoured,” he said.
Duncan is legally blind with less
salvaged wood which would have
otherwise have been burned.
“Sustainability should be at the
core of the design process, it should
not be tacked on at the end; furniture
than five per cent vision concentrated and lights should be designed to
around the peripheral fields. stand the test of time,” he said.
He said much of his work reflects
Duncan said he could attend the
the alternative sensory world in DARC Awards in London as he was
which he operates, and his interest already in Europe for the opening of
is focussed on how light performs the Venice Design 2018 exhibition, as
through and around objects. part of the Venice Biennale. He was
“The stump light is a specific
one of 60 designers from around the
example of this, with the randomised world who took part in the invite-only
light patterns thrown through the exhibition.
different cracks in each light,” he said.
linkonline.com.au
Above: Duncan Meerding with his stump
lights at Venice Design.
www.duncanmeerding.com.au
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