Wheelchair, walker, bouncer or hybrid of skateboard and sledge. Even such ideas were brought along by design students from the Czech Republic and Austria when they met at an international design workshop at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology in March. At the core of the assignment was children's mobility and also the material: bentwood.

That Friday morning, there was a sparkling atmosphere in the classroom at the Institute of Industrial Design, full of amazing ideas but also with a pinch of tension. After four days of hard work, the student teams were supposed to present their ideas to the jury, so a slight nervousness was understandable.

"On the first day of the workshop, we visited the TON company, where the students got acquainted with bentwood technology. The assignment was to design a child mobility product using this technology to apply their knowledge in practice. They had materials and facilities for the entire design process at their disposal – from the first idea and brainstorming, through the creation of conceptual models from cardboard and wire, to 3D printing of the final solution," explains Darina Zelenitca of the Industrial Design Department of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, one of the workshop organizers.

Eight teams were made up of industrial design students from the Brno University of Technology and their peers from the Department of Design and Environmental Engineering of the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. "Working in an international team is very beneficial for students because each member brings a different perspective on problem-solving. While our students focus mainly on the technical aspects of design, students of FH Salzburg emphasize sustainability and marketing. Although a lot of friction can arise during the process, in the end, they complement each other perfectly thanks to this diversity," says Pavol Lupták, another of the organizers of the event.

The idea is just the first step

"Our product is called Walkie and it's a baby walker. It is lightweight, and has an adjustable height, so it can grow with the child. To make the children like it, they can choose a colour combination and also a picture on the front panel," one of the teams begins the presentation. They then received feedback from the jury, which included experienced designers from both organizing schools. Over four days, each student team had to prepare not only the final presentation but also create a conceptual mock-up and a 3D printed model.

As many times before, this workshop shows that design is not just about "doing nice things". Students start each presentation with a detailed explanation of why they chose the product, and who they thought about its users, their needs and preferences.

For example, the team that introduced its Rollio balance bike captured it perfectly. "As children grow, it is necessary to keep buying new things. Our product can be easily changed from a quad bike for very young children to a two-wheeler for older children who are already able to keep their balance. This saves money and space as the product grows with the child," the students presented their idea and received great praise from the jury. "The only thing I would recommend changing is the colour. Small children will not be impressed by the colour of natural wood," said designer Marcus Schranzer from the University of Salzburg in the subsequent debate.

A very bold design was then demonstrated by a team with an idea called Blizz, which designed a kind of double board for all seasons: in winter it can serve as a sledge or bobsled, in summer you can just attach wheels and create a variation on a skateboard. Although the jury raised several technical questions over the proposal, they also greatly appreciated the courage of the team who came up with a completely new concept.

"Our department has organized this workshop for the fourth time and we are very satisfied with its good preparation, course and interesting results. We believe that the students took away not only new knowledge about bentwood technology but also valuable experience from working in an international team. At the same time, they have made new friends and improved their soft skills, which is what these workshops are all about, after all," concludes Zelenitca.

The workshop was held thanks to the international program AKTION Czech-Austria.