Four Humber students win at ACIDO Rocket Show 2021 design competition

Jun 22, 2021 | Biz/Tech, News

Humber College students took home five awards from an industrial design show, including first and second place.

The college’s industrial design students were nominated by their faculty to compete in 19th annual Rocket competition — held for graduating industrial designers — hosted by the Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario (ACIDO).

ACIDO has been promoting the industrial design profession for almost 50 years. This profession designs products for mass production. Every year, it hosts Rocket, a competition where industrial design students in the province pitch final year thesis projects to professionals in the industry.

The competition saw 38 students students from Humber, Carleton University, Sheridan College and OCAD University for the event by Zoom, the second time the competition was hosted online.

“Everyone that participated this year was top notch,” said Kate Tessier, the director of Rocket for ACIDO.

She told Humber News the students’ identities were hidden from the judges. When the judges were looking at the projects, this allowed them only to judge by how well the projects had been executed.

Humber’s Henry Boy was awarded first place in the 2021 Rocket and the Specialty Rocket 2021 Market Ready Award. His project Vagaboard, is a micro mobility product was designed to replace vehicles for short distance transportation.

Bradley Staite came in second place of the 2021 for his project Neo Ink, an adaptable workstation for tattoo artists.

The Specialty Rocket 2021 Prototyping Award was given to Stephen Bykowy for his project Horizon, an enhanced sleeper for long haul truck drivers.

Moriah Gonidis was awarded The Specialty Rocket 2021 Sustainability Award for project pakk, an eco-friendly camp cooking unit.

Boy, a fourth-year Industrial Design Student, described the competition as amazing.

“ACIDO, that was the most pleasant experience I had in awhile, because I got to talk to two professionals in the field and defending my design that I worked for over a year,” he said.

His invention, the Vegaboard, is designed to fold and can be stored in a medium-sized backpack. He was pleased to receive constructive criticism and accolades.

“I don’t know when was the last time first and second place was taken by Humber,” he said.

Bykowy told Humber News the competition allowed him to connect with many new people and reconnect with others he hasn’t seen in a while.

“I am happy that I could participate in this competition alongside some of my peers and cheer them on and see them succeed in the competition as well,” he said.

Bykowy said the competition was a nice way to cap off his school career at Humber College, given the COVID-19 circumstances.

Horizon was designed to create a livable environment for long-haul truck drivers. It promotes drivers to have a active and healthy lifestyle while on the road. Features include a treadmill, a kitchenette, an on-board washroom and a bunk bed.

“It felt great to be recognized for Horizon. I am glad I was able to create a vehicle that people understood and connected with, that meant a lot to me,” Bykowy said. “It felt like a great personal achievement.”

Tessier says the competition was different this year. An event was added where sponsors and professional members, in addition to students, came together to celebrate Rocket, she said.