Vilnius Academy of Arts continues to present R&D products abroad. On the initiative of the Design Innovation Centre in the modern architecture of the Nuremberg Messe building, four products developed by the Academy were presented at the iENA innovation exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany from the 27th-30th of October. The insect hotel, a 3D printed finger prosthesis, the IZICON modular system and a hands-on distance learning device were presented there.
Now in its 74th year
From what was once a small and a local fair, the event has grown into the largest and the only innovation fair in Germany, bringing together inventors from different generations. Most of the exhibitors have been attending the fair for several years and come from Germany, but there has been no shortage of exhibitors from Asia – P.Korea, Taiwan, China and Thailand. The products on display ranged from ultrasonic toothbrushes for cats that vibrate to the sound of cats purring to submarines and aeroplanes.
Audronė Drungilaitė, Director of the VDA Design Innovation Centre, gave a presentation on design innovation at the exhibition’s Innovation Forum. “I have to admit that there is not a lot of good design at the Innovation Fair. Little attention is paid to stand design, packaging or handouts, so I wanted to make the audience aware of the benefits of design,” Drungilaitė said.
Exceptional attention and awards
“Indeed, our stand was probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing, with a well-thought-out set design, graphics and lighting. Many visitors thought that the prototypes were already fully functional products.” – adds Ignas Kuncevičius, who attended the exhibition.
All the products on display were judged by a jury. Various innovation experts visited in groups of two for all three days and awarded scores. During the awards ceremony, it was revealed that four medals went to VDA designers.