In recent years, advancements in science and technology have blurred the boundaries of traditional design fields, giving rise to numerous emerging areas such as intelligent design, computational design, service design, social innovation design, generative design, ecological design, and future design. These new fields emphasize the application of new technologies in traditional design practices, greatly expanding the scope of design practice. This shift has also prompted a transformation in design research methodologies from traditional humanities and art history to empirical and experimental approaches from the natural and social sciences, exploring familiar yet novel design phenomena from different perspectives.
As China's "Silicon Valley" and a hub of design, Shenzhen is a dream city for entrepreneurs, gathering top-tier technology, design, and business talents. In China, design is becoming a core innovative force to tackle business challenges. Design-driven innovation is a crucial path for companies at various development stages, aligning with the comprehensive integration of new engineering, new liberal arts, and new art sciences. This approach is essential for nurturing innovative talent and driving sustainable development in society and business ecosystems. The unique advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area provide a fertile ground for young innovators and entrepreneurs. Therefore, this InnoTech Incubation Camp is jointly conducted by the Division of Arts at Shenzhen University and the School of Future Technology at Shenzhen Polytechnic University. Jointly conducted.
The School of Future Technology was founded by Professor Li Zexiang of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Professor Li is also the founder of the robotics industry bases in Songshan Lake, Changzhou, Ningbo, and Chongqing, as well as the initiator of the Shenzhen Institute of Innovation and Technology. Since founding China's first motion control company, Googol Technology, in 1999, Professor Li and his students have established several renowned technology companies, including DJI Innovations, Quotient Kinematics Machine, and ePropulsion. The team has incubated over 60 high-tech companies, with a survival rate of 80% and 15% unicorn or near-unicorn companies. They have collaborated with universities such as Chongqing University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Changzhou University, Beijing University of Science and Technology, and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts to reform engineering education, developing a systematic approach to nurturing hard-tech innovation and entrepreneurship talent. The School of Future Technology serves as a platform for cultivating high-end engineering talent focused on consumer electronics, smart healthcare, and intelligent manufacturing. It aims to train individuals who can define problems using scientific methods and solve them through multidisciplinary approaches.
What is the InnoTech Incubation Camp?
The "InnoTech Incubation Camp" utilized the opportunity of combining "design + technology" to assemble a team of expert mentors and opened enrollment to the entire university. The course training started from the perspective of design thinking and employed a project-based learning model. Through typical scenario-based interactions, students from different disciplinary backgrounds were encouraged to exchange ideas. By working in groups, they rapidly built prototypes of design solutions, created intelligent products and services, and integrated relevant intelligent technology resources from conceptualization to practical implementation, evaluating the feasibility of their solutions in real-world applications.
The InnoTech Incubation Camp focused on cultivating three major thinking abilities in participants: Design Thinking: Understanding market and customer needs in the definition of new products; Engineering Thinking: Systematically applying technology to create and innovate; Systems Thinking: Integrating resources and creating value through teamwork.
Participants experienced the essential stages of entrepreneurship in a realistic environment, identified and explored genuine user needs, continuously broke through existing thought patterns in brainstorming sessions with team members, iterated innovative ideas, discussed technical details from design to prototype manufacturing, understood the supply chain and business models, and initiated a new journey for hardcore technology entrepreneurship. The camp emphasized the dialogue and integration of art design and engineering technology, while fully leveraging the humanistic spirit and values of humanities and arts.
Highlights of the InnoTech Incubation Camp
The InnoTech Incubation Camp was guided by 13 multidisciplinary mentors both online and offline, providing participants with the full experience of the entrepreneurial journey in a realistic setting, identifying and exploring real user needs. During the Spring semester2024, the InnoTech Incubation Camp opened its doors to all students of Shenzhen University. The course training adopted a design thinking perspective, using a project-based learning model. Through typical scenario-based interactions, students from various disciplinary backgrounds collided with ideas, rapidly built design prototypes through group collaboration, and constructed intelligent products and services, assisting relevant intelligent technology resources in transitioning from creative conception to practical application, thus assessing the feasibility of solution implementation. During the course, participants visited the Future Technology Academy exhibition hall at Shenzhen Polytechnic University and the XbotPark Robotics Base in Songshan Lake.
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InnoTech Incubation Camp Spring Semester 2024 Classes
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Visits to Shenzhen Polytechnic University Future Technology Academy Exhibition Hall and XbotPark Robotics Base
On the morning of February 24, 2024, the Spring Semester 2024 closing roadshow of the InnoTech Incubation Camp, jointly initiated by the Division of Arts at Shenzhen University and the Future Technology Academy at Shenzhen Polytechnic University, was held at the Future Technology Academy (Yun Science and Technology Building) at Shenzhen Polytechnic University.
Participants in the closing event included: from Shenzhen University: He Qinyang, Deputy Director of the Division of Arts, Xu Hui, Deputy Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Design, Division of Arts,camp instructors Yang Chenxiao, Fu Fang, Huang Yiran, and Chen Xin, graduate teaching assistants Li Saibo and Song Ying; Zhang Dongjun, Deputy Dean of the Future Technology Academy and academic officer Zeng Yufen at Shenzhen Polytechnic University; General Manager Zhou Feng, Deputy General Manager of R&D Pan Zhiqiang, and Technical Development Director Wang Qianjin of Shenzhen Leqi Network Technology Co., Ltd.; and students from Shenzhen University and Shenzhen Polytechnic University.
The themes of the joint InnoTech Incubation Camp projects included "Youzhiyin", "Toothbrush Companion", "Hugging Cloud", "Cat Companion", "Intelligent Sunshade", "Enjoy Sleep Aid Pillow", and "Instant Wardrobe". The closing roadshow featured seven teams, composed of 28 students from Shenzhen University’s School of Fine Arts and Design, School of Music and Dance, School of Communication, School of Medicine, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Mechanical and Control Engineering, School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, School of Psychology, Audencia FinancialTechnology Institute, and School of Civil and Transportation Engineering. The teams presented their final design solutions, which were also exhibited through physical displays. Course mentors from both universities, along with mentors from Leqi Network Technology, engaged in an in-depth discussion on the "Design + Technology" incubation camp model, talent cultivation programs, and school-enterprise collaborative innovation after the presentations.
Project Topics for the Spring Semester 2024 InnoTech Incubation Camp:
Smart Home Solutions: Creating Personalized Smart Products for Diverse Home Scenarios
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“Youzhiyin - An Intelligent Cultivator Offering Music Therapy and Plant Care for Youth”
Deng Zijie (Environmental Art), Zhang Haoyu (Geoinformatics), Hu Yuqing (Architecture), Peng Ruiyuan (Digital Media)
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“Toothbrush Companion - An Intelligent Dental Aid Device Designed for Children”
Ding Hao (Environmental Design), Zhou Siqi (Psychology), Luo Jian (Oral Medicine), Zhang Chi (Music Performance)
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“Hugging Cloud - An Emotion Therapy-Based Intelligent Sofa”
Chen Zebin (Architecture), Deng Runsong (Advertising), Yang Liyang (Visual Communication), Bai Yifu (Architecture)
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"Cat Companion - Creating a Home Ecology for the Healthy Growth of Cats"
Gao Xuan (Architecture), Luo Haowei (Mechanical and Electrical), Weng Guangjia (Environmental Art), Zhang Min (Creative Strategy)
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"Intelligent Sunshade - Providing Users with Aesthetic and Practical Intelligent Sunshade Products"
Huang Shouwei (Design), Liu Yixuan (Civil Engineering), Zhang Zhenghong (Mechanical and Electrical Engineering), Zang Wentao (ProductDesign)
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"Enjoy Sleep Pillow - An Ergonomic Intelligent Pillow to Accompany You to Sleep through All Seasons"
Mo Taozi (Mechanical and Electrical Engineering), Wang Zhaoyi (Visual Communication), Liu Yiling (New Energy), Yang Ruisi (Design)
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"Instant Wardrobe - An Intelligent Wardrobe Service System for Convenient Clothing Storage, Retrieval, and Matching"
Li Zhuoheng (Big Data), Shen Zhenwei (Mechanical and Electrical Engineering), Lao Yixuan (ProductDesign), Wu Xiaodan (Telecommunications)
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The closing roadshow concluded amidst a lively atmosphere that lasted nearly three hours. As the event came to an end, Vice Dean He Qinyang, Vice Dean Zhang Dongjun, and Vice Dean Xu Hui delivered speeches. Vice DeanHe Qinyang pointed out that this is a new teaching model of interdisciplinary collaboration between universities and enterprises, achieving a "complete before perfect" teaching approach, urging students to enter the state of "entrepreneurs", continuously exercising their thinking patterns, and creating designs that resonate with the real world. Vice Dean Zhang Dongjun mentioned that the products developed by the students are closely aligned with the market, congratulated the teaching staff and students for their outstanding work, and expressed anticipation for the upcoming 2024 autumn semester of the InnoTech Incubation Camp. Vice Dean Xu Hui introduced the short-term teaching achievements and innovative outcomes of the incubation camp, while also encouraging students to participate in the integration of innovation between universities and enterprises, absorb cutting-edge innovative thinking, and combine thinking with practice organically, ultimately achieving fruitful results.
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Group Photo of the Closing Roadshow of the InnoTech Incubation Camp (Spring Semester2024)
Division of Arts, Shenzhen University
February 28, 2024
