Come and visit UT at the Dutch Innovation Days

With this speculative experience designed by DesignLabs former designer-in-residence Lisa Mandemaker, the aim is to spark new ideas about future reproductive scenarios and family ties. Can we think beyond the current family tree? And how do we experience new forms of kinship and the sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves? In 2022, the experience was part of the Embassy of Health programme at Dutch Design Week. For this year's Dutch Innovation Days, you can explore it in full swing once more! 

 Photo credits: Max Kneefel

When we look back on the personal experiences we have gained, let's be proud and unfold them in the vicinity of others, to co-shape the futures we want to live in. Let's start with what societal challenges actually mean to us personally? Give words to what is keeping you up at night. Start with Dear Future me...

This activity is part of DesignLabs 10-year anniversary 'Dear Future us'.
We congratulate the community for wanting to be, becoming and being the changemakers of tomorrow at DesignLab since 2014. As it's already been 10 years, we would like to use this momentum not just to celebrate, but also to reflect on how we feel, think and act. 

Photo credits: Cristina Ionas

Cristina Zaga is assistant professor at the Human-Centered Design Group and DesignLab Research Fellow at University of Twente. As an advocate for inclusivity, she dedicates her work to transdisciplinarity and relational design methods for just futures of work and care with AI technology.

Cristina will talk about how the current narratives are shaping the way we design technology. She will answer questions such as: ‘What is the link between the #tradwife trend on TikTok and the design of intelligent assistants and robots?’ and ‘How is Elon Musk’s rhetoric fuelling dystopian reproductive technologies?’ She will introduce the audience to futuring and critical design approaches with tangible examples from her transdisciplinary research. She advocates to sit in a ‘Lekker Résistance’ to technosolutionism, transhumanism, dehumanisation, and digital colonialism to become partisans designers shaping socio-technical futures worth wanting.

Cristina Zaga is featured in a STAR interview.

One of DesignLabs DreamTeamers, Jorge Davó, will be taking the stage to share his passion and give some tips. Jorge is an extremely talented maker, we think you will agree once you see his work. He studies Creative Technology at University of Twente and works on various projects. He will share his journey of becoming a professional in the robot industry, and the events and mentality that helped him to position himself to where he is now. He will also dive into topics such as technology and how loving what you do can help ‘challenge the system’.

Listen to UT journeys podcast episode with Jorge Davó on Spotify.

When we look back on the personal experiences we have gained, let's be proud and unfold them in the vicinity of others, to co-shape the futures we want to live in. Let's start with what societal challenges actually mean to us personally? Give words to what is keeping you up at night. Start with Dear Future me...

This activity is part of DesignLabs 10-year anniversary 'Dear Future us'.
We congratulate the community for wanting to be, becoming and being the changemakers of tomorrow at DesignLab since 2014. As it's already been 10 years, we would like to use this momentum not just to celebrate, but also to reflect on how we feel, think and act. |

Photo credits: Cristina Ionas

With this speculative experience designed by DesignLabs former designer-in-residence Lisa Mandemaker, the aim is to spark new ideas about future reproductive scenarios and family ties. Can we think beyond the current family tree? And how do we experience new forms of kinship and the sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves? In 2022, the experience was part of the Embassy of Health programme at Dutch Design Week. For this year's Dutch Innovation Days, you can explore it in full swing once more! 

 Photo credits: Max Kneefel

The Experivan offers researchers the possibility to take their research on the road. It is converted to a versatile lab space that they can take to their target population. During Dutch Innovation Days, the Experivan is the place where you can explore, touch and feel how technology is applied to daily challenges.

AR Wind Turbine: Place virtual windturbines with the Microsoft HoloLens in your surroundings and have a peek into a more sustainable future.

Virtual Nature: Immerse yourself in our virtual nature and learn about the possibilities of bringing nature to those who can’t reach it themselves.

Furhat (When the weather allows it): You can talk to our social robot Furhat and discover the possibilities that social robotics brings when it comes to enhancing human interaction.

Together with children, Funda Atun and Javier Martinez from Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) co-developed a board game on flooding and climate change adaptation for children aged 9-11. The co-development process and the ideas "travelled" and iterated through different stages, children's contributions, and geographic locations. 

The ultimate goal of the Rising Water, Safer Shores board game project was to harness children's capacities to decrease their vulnerabilities and increase their resilience to current and future climate-change-related disasters.

At the Dutch Innovation Days festival, Funda and Javier will invite you to play the game with your family, and they are more than happy to share more information about this Citizen Science project!

Photo credits: Zalfa Imtinan

DesignLabs and Interaction Technology student Pablo guides you through creating physical clay sculptures and exploring different 3D scanning methods to create digital assets. This technique is a way to involve participants with different skills in the ideation of game assets, new devices, artifacts or products.

More info on Pablo's studio website.
Photo credits: Ben Peter Catchpole

Unlocking creativity and innovation, the UT Entrepreneurial Challenge has been a beacon for aspiring student entrepreneurs since its inaugural edition in 2017. Each year, it serves as a launchpad for students to refine their ideas, prototypes, start-ups, and research projects into tangible ventures.

Get ready for the finals during Dutch Innovation Days!