Judging the SUTD 30.007 Engineering Design Innovation Showcase 🚀

🌟 Fifteen passionate student teams, one vision: Reimagine civic innovation with design, hardware, and AI!

On August 15th, I had the honor of serving as a judge at the SUTD 30.007 Engineering Design Innovation showcase, powered by the creative spirit of the James Dyson Foundation. The challenge? To bring together embodied AI and ingenious hardware for public good—making our cities safer, healthier, and more inclusive!

🎬 Arrival at SUTD: A Stage for the Imaginative

As the showcase began, the energy was electric. Teams lined up with prototypes in hand, ready to tackle everything from healthcare and accessibility to sustainability and conservation. The atmosphere buzzed with hopeful anticipation—each team eager to inspire with their solutions.

🔎 Innovation Highlights: The Full Spectrum of Civic Ingenuity

Here’s a whirlwind tour of the standout projects on display:

Team 1: TRONE—Versatile Surveying Drone for Emergency Operations

TRONE is a rugged drone that switches between flight and ground modes for rapid surveying in mines and caves. Adaptable and durable, it excels where conventional drones can’t.

Team 2: Augmented Display and Mapping & Enhanced Vision for Emergencies (ADAM & EVE)

A firefighter helmet with integrated HUD, thermal imaging, object detection (83% accuracy), and wireless data streaming—elevating hazard awareness and navigation in dangerous conditions.

Team 3: JOHN CHAI.R—Mobile Foldable Stair-Climbing Wheelchair

This foldable, stair-climbing wheelchair empowers mobility for those facing architectural barriers, blending robust mechanics with smart design for independent city living.

Team 4: NEST—AI-Enhanced Play-Based Autism Screening

NEST cleverly combines sensor-embedded modular toys with real-time AI analysis, transforming diagnostic play into actionable insights for early autism intervention.

Team 5: EcoRig—Ground-Based Arboreal Camera Servicing System

EcoRig revolutionizes wildlife monitoring by enabling researchers to install and reposition treetop cameras from the safety of the ground. Its modular rig and rope mechanism support biodiversity science without risking climbers’ safety.

Team 6: Wishy Washy—Closed-Loop Pressure Washing System

Wishy Washy uses a closed-loop, pressure-washing cart to reclaim and filter water during HDB cleaning, reducing wastage by 80% and promoting sustainable maintenance.

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Team 7: How to Train Your Knees—Smart Knee Rehabilitation System

A smart sleeve with embedded EMG/IMU sensors and a connected app for tele-physio. Patients track progress remotely; therapists guide recovery, all with customization and sustainability in mind.

Team 8: Shroomie—Autonomous Mushroom Farm

A scalable urban agriculture system using AI for mushroom maturity detection and robotic harvesting. Shroomie streamlines growth and picking, promising sustainable food production for Singapore.

Team 9: PostureFlow—Wearable Posture Monitoring for Healthcare Workers

Nurses fight back pain with PostureFlow—a wearable device that uses breathing sounds and AI to monitor lifting posture and nudge healthier work habits.

Team 10: DA LEGS—Autonomous Wall-Scrubbing Robot

A camera-navigated robot with adaptive brush assemblies and climbing legs—to automate and optimize the cleaning of HDB walls, making maintenance safer and more efficient.

Team 11: Life-Line—Guided AED Use for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Empowering bystanders with a deployable guidance stand, wearable headband, and haptic feedback, Life-Line reduces panic and error to save lives with AEDs during emergencies.

Team 12: Odyssaz—Air Cooler

A compact cooling system sporting a 1L water tank, adjustable wind speed, and humidifier. Odyssaz keeps comfort affordable, with up to 2.7°C temperature drop for small spaces.

Team 13: Casino Night—CareDose Medication Dispensing Ecosystem

CareDose turns daily medication into a fun routine, with a pill-vending unit, compact canisters, and smart dispenser—gamifying health management for effortless adherence.

Team 14: ECZ-Ware—Smart Glove for Eczema Management

A glove with flex and motion sensors tracks and alerts users to scratching behaviors, using live data and AI for healthier eczema recovery.

Team 15: NONDEVIATE—Accessible Bus Navigation for the Visually Impaired

This handheld device guides visually-impaired riders to the correct bus with tactile buttons and audio cues—boosting independence and public transport access.

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🏆 Award-Winning Projects

Of all the creative solutions, three teams emerged as stars:

Best Demonstration: EcoRig—Ground-Based Arboreal Camera Servicing System EcoRig captivated the room with a hands-on demo of its safe, modular rig for ground-level camera installation and servicing, tested live with NParks. Smart, practical, and impactful for conservation work!

Best Prototype: Augmented Display and Mapping & Enhanced Vision for Emergencies (ADAM & EVE) The ADAM & EVE team wowed judges with their helmet-integrated HUD for firefighters, seamlessly blending hardware and AI. Real-time thermal imaging and hazard detection set a new standard for emergency response tech.

Best Innovation: NEST—AI-Enhanced Play-Based Autism Screening NEST’s playful, sensor-rich toy kit and instant analytics reimagined autism screening as fun, objective, and data-driven—an innovation with potential to transform childhood diagnosis and therapy.

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🌍 Why These Projects Matter

These young engineers aren’t just sketching the future—they’re prototyping it today. The support from the James Dyson Foundation fuels technical brilliance and daring design, helping tomorrow’s leaders build solutions for public good.

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💡 Final Reflections

Participating as a judge offered a unique vantage point into the next generation of civic innovation. Surrounded by inventive prototypes and inspiring ideas on display, it was clear how these teams—whether building new robotics, advancing healthcare, or transforming the way we navigate our cities—demonstrated the power of design and AI to deliver creative solutions to real-world challenges.

Thank you to SUTD, the organizing faculty, each passionate team, and the James Dyson Foundation for the opportunity to witness so much future-focused audacity. If this showcase is any sign, civic intelligence is in very good hands.

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