Innovation Marketplace, Backpack Wobbling with Vaude

After around 20 weeks of workshops and group working, student groups from four different Universities (TU Delft, TU Chemnitz, Technikum Wien and Sheffield Hallam) presented their work to members of Vaude on the 8th and 9th of February.

Each group had been tasked with solving the problem of ‘backpack wobbling’ during cycling. Wobbling can lead to discomfort and difficulty in control and each group aimed to develop innovative design solutions.

Wobbling can be internal (the contents of the bag) and external (the bag itself) and both aspects were explored.

Elasticated component pockets were explored by TU Delft as a solution to internal wobbling (for example)!

Teams assessed wobbling through direct measurement (accelerometers) and user feedback.

A comparison between the original backpack (blue) and new concept shows a reduction in peak accelerations

Innovative strapping and focusing on overall fit helped to reduce wobbling (Technikum Wien)

Each team sold their ideas through a virtual exhibition hosted in Cosmos Video and with a video they produced presenting their idea.

The video entry for the team from TU Chemnitz

After a morning of presentations, a judging team consisting of academic and members of the Vaude team awarded the accolade of ‘best solution’ to the team from University of Applied Sciences, Technikum Wien. Although they recognised the difficulty in deciding following excellent submissions from all participating teams.

Well done to all the students participating in the first Innovation Marketplace!

We look forward to next year’s event.