Simple product with a commercial character

We often see young designers tackling a complex problem with possibly an even more complex solution. “It’s completely different with the winner of this award,” says David Pas, Coordinator of DesignLab at Verhaert. “The problem definition is clear and understandable. The product has such simple greatness, that we could actually see it in the store. Ornella receives the Paul Verhaert Award because her product makes sense and could be a commercial success.” The presentation was completely correct, taking into account the technological, business and human aspects, just like Verhaert defines in its unique integrated approach the ‘Sweet Spot of Innovation’.

Healthy soil with Tiërra

Tiërra is based on a traditional agricultural method to improve the soil with the so-called Indigenous Microorganisms as the main ingredient. The product consists of 2 parts:

• The collector: a tool to collect soil microorganisms
• The reactor: a unit to catch microorganisms in an aerated mixture so they multiply to create soil improver. Rice is used as bait and the microorganisms are fed with molasses, a waste product of sugar.

The result you get with Tiërra is a freshly made, biological agent that increases the number of microorganisms in the soil and thus improves the soil health. More soil life accelerates the destruction of organic substances like pollutants and contributes to the soil structure, resulting in improved water retention and a fundamental win-win relationship for plants.

David Pas: “We’re living in exciting times. It’s up to recently graduated designers to help shape our future and focus on sustainable innovation and circular economy. Products like Tiërra look very promising. Therefore, we’re very pleased to welcome Ornella as an employee of Verhaert’s DesignLab team.”

Visit www.masterexpo-ontwerpwetenschappen.be for more details about Ornella’s master’s thesis.

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Demetra

The Demetra device is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Barco and Verhaert, Masters in Innovation. The recognition is an important reward for the solution’s functional and aesthetic design, which was developed with efficiency, ergonomy and qualitative results in mind.

During the development of Demetra, we put a lot of effort in the user-friendliness of our solution, and in the fit with the doctor’s workflow. We used an iterative user-centered approach to get every detail right. Many dermatologists are truly enthusiastic about the result: a portable, wireless and ergonomic dermatoscope with a nice-looking design. We are grateful that we now also received this recognition from the experts of the Henry van de Velde jury.

Jana De Cock, Product Manager Demetra at Barco

Next-gen of dermoscopy

Co-developed with leading dermatologists, Demetra is a revolutionary skin imaging platform that unifies innovative technology and sleek design. It allows dermatologists to take any kind of picture and makes mapping, follow-up and comparison of skin images smoother and smarter. The future-proof solution will come with advanced insights based on Artificial Intelligence, that support clinical decisions in real-time. Demetra brings a revolution in skin imaging, and it’s shaping the future of dermatology.

Henry van de Velde Awards

Henry van de Velde was a Belgian painter, designer and architect who was active from the end of the 19^th century until the 1950s. The Henry van de Velde Awards are the oldest, most prestigious design acknowledgements in Belgium and have been awarded to designers, organizations and companies since 1994.

This year, 304 projects were submitted, which is 50 more compared to 2019. Last November, the jury, chaired by Professor at the Faculty of Design Sciences at Antwerp University, Chris Baelus, already chose 21 winners in 8 categories. Demetra was one of the three winners in the ‘Business Innovation’ category. Yesterday, the Gold Winners in each category were announced. Demetra received the honor of winning in its category.

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Innovative design language

The West Flemish company Novy is continuously innovating. Verhaert’s senior product designer David Pas coached Novy to take a fresh look at kitchen ventilation, in the context of the 5X5 project by Designregio Kortrijk. Thanks to smart sensors, the ‘Novy Mood’ is able to interact with the circumstances of the cooking environment. Furthermore, the user can customize the kitchen hood by choosing the desired light intensity and color temperature.

Design as accelerator

The design of ‘Mood’ is a reflection of Novy’s company DNA: the ambition to enhance our quality of life with solutions that are both innovative and user driven. Verhaert sees design as an accelerator for strategy development. Together, we created a new design language which underlines the future vision of the Belgian quality brand. We’re very proud and like to thank the jury of Creative Belgium for this recognition and award.

Curious about the ‘Novy Mood’?

Watch the special episode of Focus WTV about the search for the kitchen hood of the future.

www.creativebelgium.be

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Master Product Development

At the University of Antwerp every academic year is closed with a presentation from the master students Product Development. A jury selects 5 students who may present their master thesis to a broad public consisting of fellow students, alumni, supervisors, stakeholders, friends and family. The selection criteria are the inherent quality of the master thesis, the innovative added value of the product or service and the way it distinguishes itself from the others.

ModulAir

Every generation has the responsibility to preserve art treasures throughout the centuries, so the next generations can keep enjoying these. The changing climate conditions make that we need to pay special attention to the environment in which the art collections are kept.
Until now, only temperature and humidity measurements have been performed, but recent scientific developments have shown that more factors play an important part in the degradation process of art.

The product ModulAir, developed in cooperation with the scientific team Airchecq, anticipates to these current scientific developments. It is an air and climate measuring device that can measure several environmental parameters. Because it is a modular device the museum can determine itself which parameters it finds interesting. That way, customized instruments can be offered to the clients.

The 6 different modules are illustrated in figure 1. Every module focuses on another environmental aspect. Because such extensive measurements have not been done before, and the know-how of museums is not yet big enough, Airchecq will offer a full service, not only offering measuring instruments, but also providing knowledge about the measured data.

ModulAir focuses on use in museums, making the product perfectly adjusted to their requirements and demands. ModulAir is a scientific, compact, reliable, user friendly, reasonably priced and modular device.

Service Contract

To stimulate this new measuring technique, we have Airchecq taking care of all practicalities. Furthermore, we don’t not want the high investment cost to be the threshold as to whether or not to buy the device. Therefore, we work with service contracts: a non-recurring entry cost is paid for the selected measuring device. This entry cost will act as the production cost price for the company. Airchecq will then request a monthly contribution based on the amount of modules in the leasing device.
These service contracts include delivery, assembly, maintenance, calibration, … so the clients will not be confronted with any unexpected additional costs. This monthly contribution also includes customized service reports as well as permanent access to the online platform containing all data.

We wish Jeroen good luck in his further career.

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As leading innovation centre, Verhaert will assure the implementation of the technology transfer initiative throughout the ESA member states. With the specific TechXfer approach, the company, together with its subcontractors, will be in charge of new applications of aerospace technology in the different sectors of the industry. This contract emphasizes the increasing importance of professional technology transfer and ensures extra efficiency of the investments in aerospace. As such, demanding technological innovations can benefit from the technological developments which have been realised in the context of various aerospace missions. With this new contract, Verhaert wants to speed up product innovation on a European level, by building a bridge between industry and start-up through technology transfer.

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Career Award 2015

Being a pioneer in many areas of engineering and an innovation researcher long before anyone else, the jury decided to honor Paul Verhaert with the Henry van de Velde Career Award 2015. This prize is more than an official recognition and appreciation of the designer’s work, it confirms that he is a source of inspiration and encourages younger designers.

Pioneer in user design thinking

It has always been Paul Verhaert’s mission to think up revolutionary new products and services for other companies. A particular mind-set that resulted in more than 500 innovative products as well as partnerships in all kinds of industries, even space exploration.

For Paul Verhaert, design is about giving an object an added value which usually comes from a balance between new qualities and the unwanted effects these qualities cause. The balance that guarantees the greatest added value lies in innovation which can come from 3 directions: drawing on new insights in technology, seeing things from the user’s point of view or adapting the business model. All three components must stay in optimal proportion to each other through the design process. A way of thinking which allowed Paul Verhaert to make a difference.

The Henry van de Velde Career Award is a confirmation that the designer is creative, dares to experiment and to take risks, and continually call into question the existing state of affairs. Paul Verhaert essentially symbolizes the drive to grasp opportunities and make a fundamental difference. Design Flanders decided to produce a documentary to illustrate his career. The film focuses on the impact he had as a future-oriented thinker on economy, science, education and design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa25njTGpaY

Source: Henry van de Velde Awards & Labels 2015 Book

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