Alexander Saribalas

Product Design Engineering

Hi, my name is Alexander, and I have recently completed my Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), majoring in Product Design. As an individual who has a great passion for Engineering, I aspire to push the boundaries in design and technology to make a positive influence to society, solving the challenges that many people encounter in their lives.

Having completed several extracurricular activities, namely as 'Aerodynamics Lead Engineer' for Team Swinburne FSAE, and as 'Team Engineer' for client projects with Moose Toys and Naco Design - I have a keen interest on working projects from varying backgrounds.

My final year project, Stowable, provides a solution to user comfort in the emerging technology of level 4 autonomous vehicles. Many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of self-driving vehicles which operate with no supervision or human operator. Thus, Stowable is a steering wheel used within this autonomous architecture, where it can fold from the dashboard and can allow for human intervention when needed. By brining human interaction into autonomous vehicles, passengers are more likely to feel at ease when transporting within Autonomous vehicles.

Stowable: Automotive Steering for an Autonomous Future

Stowable provides a compact steering solution for future level 4 autonomous urban transport vehicles. This autonomous architecture can comfortably transport passengers throughout cities without direct user control, but can allow for human intervention when needed.

T-Mort: Kuka End Effector for Protolab

An end effector attachment for the KUKA IIWA was designed, allowing Swinburne's Protolab to display their facilities and creative capabilities for the 2024 Open Days.

NACO X SODA - Orimba CNC: Modernising Furniture for CNC Manufacture

Industry internship completed with real world client, Naco Design, modernising the manufacturing process of their Orimba Chest of Drawers furniture piece with CNC technology.

Country Road X Swinburne - Jacinta Plant Decoration: Wall Mounted Marble Plant Decoration

Project in collaboration with Country Road to redesign an existing product through the use of post production methods, where the 'Jacinta Plant Decoration' was designed.

Avail X Swinburne - Tabula Press: Pill Crusher Designed with Aesthetics and Function in Mind

Project in collaboration with Avail to design a portable product to improve the travel experience of those with limited mobility and dexterity. As a result, a pill crusher designed to fit its form whilst also being aesthetically pleasing was completed.

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.