India Luscombe

Product Design Engineering

My name is India and I am in my final year of Product Design Engineering. This course has enabled me to pursue my two passions; engineering and design. Throughout my time at Swinburne, I have developed a solid foundation in mechanical engineering, industrial design and creative thinking.

I have previously worked in the mechanical engineering department at The Creature Technology Company, which design and build large scale animatronic creatures. Working in a team of talented engineers enabled me to gain experience, build upon my skillset and further develop my knowledge through on the job training.

I drew on my experiences at Swinburne University and The Creature Technology Company while designing PIP, an animatronic dragon, for my final year honours project. PIP has been designed to help paediatric patients who are staying in hospital connect with their families, even when separated. The 5 axis design allows PIP to move its head, neck, body and wings independently. It sits on an over-bed table in the patient’s room and the patient’s siblings or family members can control the motion of the PIP from their home. The family control the dragon by moving the digital avatar or select pre-programmed actions, such as waving and dancing. PIP keeps siblings connected and brings virtual play dates out of the screen and into the hospital room.

PIP keeps siblings connected and brings virtual play dates out of the screen and into the hospital room

Head Pitch Axis Motion

5 Axis design: Head Pitch, Neck Yaw, Body Pitch, Two Independent Wings

PIP’s motion is controlled remotely through app

The family control the dragon by moving the digital avatar or select pre-programmed actions, such as waving and dancing

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.