A Big Leap
Being selected for the BMW Group + QUT academy was one of the best things that happened to me, and I am so honoured to be given this opportunity in my final year of university. The months I spent here with fellow interns, Jack, Natalie and Bianca, has been a memorable experience.
I took on the projects to redesign the iw.hub (idealworks’ autonomous logistics robot) as well as provide a current robot packaging solution along with my teammate, Jack. Being connected to an industry partner was very exciting and motivating. We had a slow start familiarizing ourselves with the context of the robot, including the current configuration, purpose and work environment, but we slowly creeped into a world of opportunities. After weeks of design iterations, our final design outcome was a modular robot concept, where the iw.hub featured hot-swappable attachments for different purposes, rather than exclusively lifting dollies. This enhances the versatility of the robot to be effective in a more streamlined future workspace. Along with this, “The Armoury” was born, an infrastructure featuring a module swapping station, a charging station, and a maintenance and calibration station.
The skills that I acquired from this placement has gone way beyond my expectations. My desire to learn programs beyond course content such as Blender and AfterEffects as a pure beginner, has been greatly aided by the design associates from the Academy. While it was a nightmare to learn, it has contributed to I higher quality of visualization work than I have ever produced throughout my degree. I am substantially more confident in my abilities and feel better equipped to join the industry following my graduation.
The Academy is a place for students who want to take that extra step, and a passionate designer will be provided with the support they need to achieve quality outcomes if they so desire. It was an absolute pleasure to be accepted to the Academy, and I look forward to seeing more interns achieve great outcomes here!
Thanks for reading,
Kenny Lin
BMW Group + QUT Design Academy Intern, Semester 2 2022
