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Design United presents cutting-edge design research from across the 4TU with 12 frontrunner projects, that highlight the latest focus of 4TU design research. Discover how slow AI can influence creativity in ceramics and how imaginary selfcare products can ignite reflection on likes-addiction.
Reframing Technology Through Material and Movement
From slow AI to kinetic textiles, this cluster of projects challenges how we interact with technology by grounding it in materiality, motion, and human expression. Text-to-Clay treats artificial intelligence like clay—something to be shaped slowly and reflectively—while Merlett and Aerial Sketching (Making Motion) invite users to physically animate soft, responsive materials. Gr!pp explores how hand rehabilitation can be seamlessly embedded into cooking tools, and Controlling Roughness reclaims surface imperfection in 3D-printed biocomposites. These works suggest that technological interaction can be sensitive, embodied, and deeply human.
Reclaiming Identity and Ecology Through Design
Design is a powerful tool to reconnect us with place, nature, and self. The Nettle Project and Living Traces revalue overlooked bio-based materials like nettle and N8040, showing how aesthetic evolution can foster acceptance of sustainable innovation. Cropkit empowers small-scale farmers with customizable, open-source tools designed to fit within their local ecosystems. Embodied Ecologies involves Filipino shoemakers in co-designing air quality tools, making invisible chemical risks visible. These projects foreground ecological awareness and local knowledge as the foundation for just and regenerative futures.
Designing for Emotional and Social Impact
These projects demonstrate how design can prompt empathy, reflection, and autonomy in complex social contexts. LEAFE uses light, texture, and projection to gently guide people with dementia toward a garden, promoting independence through sensory cues. Love the Look? confronts the hidden costs of fast fashion via garments with built-in miniature scenes, including a mirror that challenges the viewer directly. The Digital Detoxery imagines a self-care store from the future, inviting reflection on social media’s mental impact on young women. Each design transforms critical themes into tangible, emotionally resonant experiences.
