Following their 2024 degree project showcase, students from the MSc Engineering Design and Innovation programme at the Engineering Design and Innovation Centre spent one week on the 2024 Japan Overseas Immersion Programme. In Tokyo, they visited the University of Tokyo’s RCAST, DLX Design Lab and Cyber Interface Lab; explored Keio University’s Future Crafts programme; toured the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and the fintech startup Habitto; and experienced exhibitions at 21_21 Design Sight and Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science). In Yokohama, they visited TechHub Yokohama to learn about the region’s startup ecosystem.

“We saw how creative the Japanese were. Designs that challenge social norms, technologies that redefine how humans experience computers, and business models that targeted underserved communities. Imagine being able to feel volcanic heat and freezing cold at the same time in your virtual environment. And psycho motor training via imitating a martial arts master.”
said Winston Ong, Class of 2024.

This journey blended engineering, design and cultural exploration, broadening their understanding of how technology and heritage intersect and strengthening the bonds within our cohort.