Taiwan Tech Design Department Graduation Exhibition: Waste Ball Skins Made into Benches, Stools Transform into Earthquake Protectors

(Central News Agency reporter Hsu Chih-wei, Taipei, May 7) Taiwan University of Science and Technology's Department of Design held its graduation exhibition, where students incorporated sustainable concepts, repurposing discarded ball skins into new materials to create stadium benches; other students combined disaster prevention issues, transforming stools into head protectors to be worn during earthquakes.

The 26th graduation exhibition of Taiwan Tech's Department of Design opened today, with "Interface" as its theme and "Rope" as its central image, symbolizing students' repeated struggles between freedom and norms, weaving their creative trajectories. A total of 61 works are on display, reflecting concerns about environmental sustainability, disaster prevention safety, cultural exploration, and animal friendliness, and demonstrating the thinking and practice of responding to real-world problems through design.

Huang Fang-yu and Lin Si-qin, students from Taiwan Tech's Department of Design, collaborated with manufacturers to experiment with disassembling, crushing, and high-density pressing to repurpose discarded ball skins into new environmentally friendly materials, creating the "Sustainable Stadium Bench RE-BOUNCE."

Huang Fang-yu told a Central News Agency reporter that discarded balls are often seen on sports fields and are eventually incinerated. However, many of them contain plastic components. According to their research, approximately 2.77 tons of discarded balls are generated annually in schools across Taiwan. Incinerating such a large amount of waste balls can also cause air pollution, so they hope to give discarded balls a new life.

Huang Fang-yu explained that they focused on three types of balls with similar structures: volleyballs, soccer balls, and basketballs. After testing, they combined PU (polyurethane) and adhesive to create a new material, which became the cushion for the stadium benches. The benches are designed in three shapes: straight, curved, and right-angled, which can be matched with the sports field to maximize space. The bottom of the benches and tables can also temporarily store sports equipment, allowing discarded ball skins to be reborn.

Lin Qin-hao and Yuan Xu-dong, also students from Taiwan Tech's Department of Design, started from the issue of disaster prevention, designing the "FLIP Shock-absorbing Headrest Stool." The work has the appearance of a simple low stool, which can be transformed into a head and neck protector by simply flipping it over. The outer shell uses a ridge-like wave structure to disperse impact force, and the interior uses TPU honeycomb material to enhance cushioning and breathability. It also features a luminous design, allowing it to be clearly visible in power outage environments.

Yuan Xu-dong stated that earthquakes are frequent in Taiwan, but people's homes rarely have disaster prevention equipment, due to reasons such as being unsightly, taking up space, or not wanting to spend money. Therefore, they hope to integrate disaster prevention equipment into daily life, choosing to give common stools protective functions. They can be used as stools normally, and when an earthquake occurs, they can be flipped over and worn on the head as a protector. They designed four sizes, suitable for children aged 4-5 to adults. (Editor: Guan Zhong-wei) 1150507

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