Turkish team shines in International Design Awards in LA

The industrial design team from the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), Designnobis, won seven awards at the International Design Awards held in Los Angeles.

Academic Hakan Gürsu of ODTÜ told that the International Design Awards are considered among the most prestigious industrial design awards in the world. Stating that "Solar Taxi," which stood out among other designs at the awards, was designed as an electric car, Gürsu said the car also works with clean energy thanks to its solar panels. He added that the design claimed second place in the Transportation and Vehicles with Alternative Fuel categories, as well as winning an honorable mention.

"Solar Taxi is intended to be used for touristic purposes in city centers and the design is considered as the transportation vehicle of the future with its alternative energy and high performance," Gürsu claimed. The car, which uses electricity as well as solar energy, is attuned to modern times with its weight, price, safety and environmentalist approach and offers a spacious indoor area with panoramic scenery. Moreover, the five-passenger capacity car creates access for disabled people with its double doors and platform.

"Torchia Solar," the other project designed by Designnobis, uses solar energy for its charger and illumination unit and the solar panels it features enables the solar energy to be used in portable devices such as mobile phones. Gürsu reported that the design, which can create light in emergencies and natural disasters, won the first prize in the Sustainable Living category.

The other design, named the "Scorpion Lamp," on the other hand, is designed as a solution to the unproductiveness of table lamps. Stating that table lamps become unproductive in time due to their adjustment mechanisms, Gürsu said that their design does not feature any of these mechanisms, thanks to its minimalistic approach. He said the Scorpion Lamp claimed the third place in the Home Furnishing- Lighting category.

Gürsu and his team, which has risen into the top five in the World's Award-Winning Companies list, has won 135 design awards in the last eight years.