Two Israeli students receive prestigious design award in London

Two industrial design students from Israel’s Holon Institute of Technology have won a prestigious design award from London’s Royal College of Art, after creating equipment designed to help disabled parents transport their babies more effectively. 

As part of a ‘Fixperts’ course, Tamir Keidar and Nimrod Shani partnered with Ola Melamed Mayer, an Israeli mother with lower limb paralysis, to develop equipment that connects a wheelchair to a baby pram or buggy.

“I want to have the option to quickly detach the stroller and place it beside me so I can adapt to different spaces”, a video shows Mayer saying.

Keidar and Shani ran multiple tests and created a number of models, before coming up with a final design, which they stress-tested before completion. Mayer is seen pushing the pram – attached to her wheelchair – with the caption: “Parenting with Independence – empowering every parent to navigate life with confidence and freedom.”

The RCA’s annual Helen Hamlyn Design Awards recognises “creativity in people-centred, inclusive design across all disciplines of the College and celebrate the most visionary, inclusive and innovative RCA graduate projects.”