Manufacturing - Product Design & Development
BIOGRAPHY
A/Prof Yen Ching Chiuan is a Dean's Chair Professor in the School of Design and Environment, an Associate Professor in the Division of Industrial Design, Co-Director of the Keio-NUS CUTE Centre, Deputy Director of NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing, and was the founding Head of Division of Industrial Design. He also holds a joint courtesy appointment with the Interactive & Digital Media Institute at NUS.
Having authored more than 60 international and national refereed articles, A/Prof Yen possesses the ability to combine theoretical thinking and design practice for education purposes. He has worked with companies such as ASUS, BMW Designwork USA, DELL, Estee Lauder, Jurong Health, OSIM, National University Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, Swarovski, and Tupperware.
A/Prof Yen’s research interests lie in design methodologies, for which he champions a "pluralistic dimension" of design study and research. His supervision in design has received more than 50 international or regional design awards in the past 10 years, including, the Braunprize 2007, Luminary Award, Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2006, iF award 2008 and James Dyson Award, 2012.
PORTFOLIO
Virtual Cocktail
Expertise Provided
Principal investigator for Virtual Cocktail, an interactive system capable of conveying taste, smell, and visual stimuli to augment flavour sensations. The system allows users to experience virtually flavoured beverages on top of plain water or an existing drink. The experience of virtual flavours starts when the users look at the colour-overlaid drink, smell it, and continues when they place their tongues on the two silver electrodes to drink while natural food aroma is delivered to their nose. Virtual Cocktail's novelty lies in its ability to switch between taste modes (salty, bitter, sour) and aromas (three chambers), allowing users to explore and experimentally create new flavours. The device can be remotely controlled via smartphone through Bluetooth connection, enabling users to create multiple combinations.
Expertise Provided
- Manufacturing - Product Design & Development, Prototype Build
Flipod
Expertise Provided
Principal investigator of Flipod. This simplifies bed rotation for non-ambulant patient to relieve respiratory & bed discomfort due to prolonged static positions while sleeping. This currently requires the supervision and help of the caretakers at the expense of their rest. Simplifying the product to a simple pump assembly, two air bags and velcro lining, it offers comfort with a personalised positioning of the air bag by velcro, as well as a pulsating/comfortable inflation sequence to aid dynamic muscle movement during their sleep daily.
Expertise Provided
- Manufacturing - Product Design & Development, Prototype Build
- Healthcare - Product Design & Development, Prototype Build
