We got this funky trophy from the Good Design Australia Awards. The Water Rat is the Good Design Award Gold Winner - Commercial and Industrial Product Design
MEDIA RELEASE
UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 10PM ON FRIDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2022
Water Rat Recognised in Australia’s International Good Design Awards for Design Excellence.
The winners of Australia’s peak international design awards were announced on Friday 16th September at the 2022 Australian Good Design Awards. The Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in the country and reward projects across 11 design disciplines covering more than 30 categories and sub-categories.
Water Rat received a prestigious Good Design Award Winner Accolade in the Product Design category in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.
The Australian Good Design Awards is the country’s oldest and most prestigious international awards for design and innovation with a proud history dating back to 1958. Each year, the Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian and international market, excellence in architectural design, engineering, fashion, digital and communication design, and reward new and emerging areas of design including design strategy, social impact design, design research and up-and-coming design talent in the next-gen category.
The 2022 Good Design Awards attracted high-quality design projects from Australia and around the world. These innovative projects were evaluated by more than 70 Australian and international Jurors, including designers, engineers, architects and thought leaders. Each entry was evaluated according to a strict set of design evaluation criteria which includes Good Design, Design Innovation and Design Impact.
Projects recognised with an Australian Good Design Award demonstrate excellence in professional design and highlight the impact a design-led approach has on business success and social and environmental outcomes.
The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “It is critical to monitor the availability of water to animals on a farm of any size.
Applying the simple principle of replacing buoyancy with gravity by using an accelerometer and low power micro processing to detect a change in the tilt angle of a floating device within an animals water source is clever. But, when such a device can then send a low water alert to the users’ mobile phone or PC via narrowband signal, then it’s brilliant.
With its robust enclosure, easy installation and ability to run on a single battery for over a year, the Water Rat is a must for anyone farming animals.
Additionally, the design allows for tethering within a water tank, that can trigger the tilt mechanism at a set depth.
The judging panel were unanimous in awarding the Water Rat a Gold Design Award. Congratulations.
”
Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Australian Good Design Awards said: “To be recognised with an Australian Good Design Award is a significant achievement, given the incredibly high standard of projects submitted in this year’s Awards. The Good Design Award is a valuable independent endorsement of professional design quality. It tells the world this project not only represents design excellence, but it also surpasses the criteria for design innovation and design impact.”
“We know that good design, when used effectively, can improve our quality of life and make the world around us better, safer, more efficient and more beautiful. It is clear from this year’s winning projects that investment in professional design delivers real impact – be it at a commercial, environmental or societal level. As our world transitions to a less-carbon intensive future, a design-led approach to solving problems and delivering meaningful impact is going to become more critical, Dr. Gien went on to say.
“The Good Design Awards recognise and celebrate the transformative power of design thinking to find innovative, customer-centric solutions to local and global challenges and this year’s Award-winning projects reflect just that. My sincere congratulations to all the designers, engineers, architects and innovators recognised in this year’s Awards - you deserve to be celebrated at the highest level,” Dr. Gien concluded.
Project Details
Project Title: Water Rat
Designed in: Australia
Project Description:
Secure water supply is critical for the welfare and productivity of animals on farms. By monitoring and reporting faults in real time we can make sure animals always have safe access to water.
Designed by:
Nick Seymour
Commissioned by:
Farmo
About Good Design Australia and the Australian Good Design Awards
Good Design Australia is an international design promotion organisation responsible for managing the annual Australian Good Design Awards and other signature design events. With a proud history that dates back to 1958, Good Design Australia remains committed to promoting the importance of design to business, industry, government and the general public and the critical role it plays in creating a better, safer and more prosperous world.