1. SASD students win big at NY International
Auto Show
From left: Brian Rocks, Taehoon Park, Jiaping Zhao, Wenyu Xin, Shuhan
Chen and Jiaxiang Shen
April 3, 2016
Industrial design students impress auto
industry with their safety devices
A group of industrial design students from
the Shintaro Akatsu School of Design
(SASD) at the University of Bridgeport were
some of the biggest winners at the New
York International Auto Show on Friday,
April 1, when they were awarded nearly
every prize, including the $5,000 Grand
Prize, for devices they designed to save
lives in the event of traffic accidents, or
even prevent mishaps from occurring in
the first place.
Industrial Design majors Brian Rocks,
Taehoon Park, Jiaping Zhao, Wenyu Xin, Shuhan Chen, and Jiaxiang Shen won the Grand, Second, Third and
Fifth Prizes at the “Designs for Safety Competition,” which is held each year at the auto show in the Javits
Center.
This is not the first time that SASD students have won Safety Competition prizes, said SASD Industrial
Design Chairman Richard Yelle, “but it is always exciting to see our students’ talent being recognized by
automotive-industry and traffic-safety experts at this premier event.”
Jiaxiang Shen and Kiaping Zhao teamed up and won the $5000 First Prize for an emergency-alert LED
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2. system they named Patronus. It is connected to the air bag system and can be turned on manually or
automatically. When a car is disabled, LED lights under the car immediately begin to flash quickly and
brightly, so a vehicle that is equipped with the system can clearly inform surrounding vehicles of an
emergency situation.
Students Shuhan Chen and Wenyu Xin won $2500 for their device, Double Direction Light. It aims to reduce
the approximately 500,000 traffic accidents that occur each year at blind intersections and on curvy roads
with limited visibility. The Double Direction Light works by alerting traffic in both directions on a curvy road
to optimize driver awareness. Sensors are placed along the roads. When the sensors detect vehicles
passing, a light facing the other direction or on and intersecting road will blink for a while to alert
oncoming vehicles. This system is powered by solar panels, saving energy.
The $1,250 Third Prize was awarded to student Taehoon Park for Quartrone, an airborne ambulance
system used to extract passengers from an isolated or difficult accident site. It is a remotely operated
system. The vehicle is located on top of an ambulance when not in use, so medics can deploy Quartrone
immediately at a scene of an accident. Since medic and patient can both ride together on the Quartrone,
medics can keep a constant care for the patient.
Brian Rocks won a $1250 Fifth Prize for the Lug Light. The Lug-Light fits on your tire just like any other
standard lug nut. However, it also has the added capability of lighting up when it becomes loose. Along
with a Bluetooth notification that’s received on the driver’s phone, the Lug-Light’s bright presence will allow
others to be aware of a potentially unsafe situation. Awareness of loose tires could prevent wheel
separations before they happen and ultimately save lives.
Media contact: Leslie Geary, (203) 576-4625, lgeary@bridgeport.edu
126 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 USA
1-800-EXCEL-UB (392-3582)
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