Yannick Christiaens is educational supervisor at the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Product Design. He takes us to the product development studio at Campus Kortrijk.
“I sometimes come here to experiment, after work. For example, I use the 3-D machines and it’s incredible all the things you can make with them. I began as a lector in product design five years ago and I give practical classes in the ateliers in this building. Students in the more senior years are also allowed here between lessons. This means they don’t need to invest in their own new material and they can experiment to their heart’s content.
It’s fantastic to see all the things that emerge from here. These ateliers are where creativity and science come together. It is where theory meets practice. We translate science into daily life.
With our course we aim to bridge the gap between different disciplines. So we talk to everyone: whether it’s about biology, architecture, communication sciences or behavioural psychology. In fact, we consciously bring brand-new research into our education, in order to set to work on the state of the art. We translate insights from scientific papers into specific ideas. Interesting and fun things emerge every year. I’m often amazed by the students’ creativity.
For example, two years ago our students launched ‘Matti’. This is an interactive play mat used by physiotherapists to make exercises more fun and enjoyable for their patients. Plus: thanks to this technology they can also keep track of their patients’ progress more easily. A really lovely example of how we can put insights and technology into practice here.”
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