Anagha Ramesh (MDes, Class of 2025) and Qian (PhD in Industrial Design) project CPR Heroes clinched 3rd place at the SCDF Innovation Challenge 2025. They presented during the finals on 4 July 2025 at Hometeam NS Bedok Reservoir, after a (grueling but fulfilling) one month of mentorship from people from SCDF and Dell Singapore. There was a record number  of 120 projects submitted to the challenge this year.

CPR Heroes began as a project under the Ste*mpunk design platform ran by Division of Industrial Design faculty member, Assistant Professor Clement Zheng, in Semester 1 2024. Anagha and her MDes teammates conceptualised, prototyped, and tested a DIY cardboard dummy that interacts with a web application to raise awareness among children about responding to medical emergencies with CPR. This project builds on top of PaperTouch, research led by Qian at the Interactive Materials Lab for building hybrid physical-digital interfaces. This project was tested at the Singapore Science Center during the platform, and Ana also tested it with children through her personal contacts.

After completing the MDes program, Anagha interned at the Interactive Materials Lab with the aim of refining CPR Heroes. Qian joined her and together they improved the framing, content, and prototype, leading to this successful showcase at the SCDF Innovation Challenge.

Photo Credits: Siew E Ian (PhD in Industrial Design)