UB Design :: Industrial Design 2008 ::

UB Design wins big at the 2008 NY International Auto Show in NYC

University of Bridgeport Industrial Design students win first, third and fifth place honors in the 2008 World Traffic Safety Symposium Competition at the New York International Auto Show in late March. The show is sponsored by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, NISSAN, Volvo, and AAA.

Junior Alex Ananin won the NISSAN $4,000 first prize with his entry, Life Harness.

Kyuhee Rho , a junior, won the $1,000 third prize with her entry, Early Warning system. Hyerim Lee, an exchange student from Hanyang University in South Korea, won the $1,000 fifth place prize with her entry, Driver Ability Test. The student's faculty advisor also took home $1,500 in prize money.

This is the eleventh year in a row that UB Design students, under faulty advisors Professors Robert Brainard and Jim Lesko, have won awards in this competition. UB has won first prize four out of the last five years.

Ananin's Life Harness is designed to help protect occupants during roll over accidents. The theme for this year was "The Senior Driver." Alex's research into this area found that while seniors have a slightly higher accident rate (which is comparable to teen drivers) they suffer an injury and fatality rate that is many magnitudes higher due to their gradually weakening bodies.

The Life Harness has 3 advantages over the standard seat belt.

1. The first advantage is a "4-point seat belt" which helps protect occupants more effectively during rollover accidents
2. The second advantage is "the air pad" which inflates during an accident to widen the contact area between seat belt and body causing less injury. This is a particular advantage for senior occupants and younger occupants beyond the age of child seats.
3. And the third advantage is the "locking mechanism" which adjusts up and down allowing different body types to be both more safe and comfortable. For example a pregnant female could adjust the harness to a higher position above her abdomen making it much safer for the unborn child while still protecting the mother during an accident.

Said Ananin,"In line with the principles of Universal Design – while my solution provides distinct advantages for senior occupants, it also provides advantages for occupants of all ages."