Fabien Roy 's (b. 1984, Premier - VD) 2020 diploma project in Master Product Design wins the James Dyson Award 2021 (Switzerland)
Thanks to RobustNest, an incubator for newborns adapted to the context of sub-Saharan Africa and developed in collaboration with the EssentialTech Center, EPFL, he wins the sum of CHF 2'300 and the right to be among the finalists of the James Dyson Award worldwide. In second place, another ECAL Master Product Design diploma project will also be presented in this selection: RUEI-01 by Maxwell Ashford (born in 1995, in Ipswich - UK).
According to UNICEF, every year in sub-Saharan Africa, 1.1 million newborns die of hypothermia during their first month of life. Developed in collaboration with the EssentialTech Center of EPFL, the CHUV and the HUG, RobustNest is a newborn incubator adapted to the context of district hospitals. Compact, robust and affordable, it allows the transport of patients in vehicles, resists frequent power cuts thanks to its thermal battery designed by EPFL and is characterized by components that are easily replaceable locally. This ensures that babies are kept warm.
Fabien Roy's project will also be highlighted on several occasions in September, by being presented at the Milan International Furniture Fair (5 to 10) through two exhibitions (The Lost Graduation Show and Design Switzerland Pro Helvetia) as well as at the Swiss Design Awards exhibition that will take place during Art Basel at the end of the month.