Arts Thread

This project aimed to design a quality, entry-level toy blaster that is retail safe in Australasia, while being fun and accessible for kids, adults, and pro hobbyists. Sports like airsoft and paintball are fun, but prohibitive entry costs and age restrictions can be discouraging. ‘Dartsoft’ – or ‘Nerf’ – is a great alternative, being cheaper and more readily available. However, the dartsoft blasters (or ‘guns’) available in Australasia are limited in terms of scalability and compatibility with upgrades, forcing local hobbyists to source equipment internationally for themselves and their clubs. Alternative products made for Australasia could help the hobby & sport tremendously. My prototype was developed through extensive research and troubleshooting - from surveys assessing blaster silhouettes for safety, to dozens of digital and physical prototypes of the blaster’s internal mechanisms. While early in development, the Emissary aims to fill the void in the Australasian market, making dartsoft more accessible for everyone.

An emergency float intended for use at public beaches. The O-buoy is anchored offshore to accommodate swimmers dragged out by rip currents, as many drowning incidents occur due to exhaustion while trying to swim back to shore. The O-buoy provides a platform to board and signal surf lifesaving services for help. The design is modular and expandable, and built with repairability in mind. The body is constructed with rotationally-moulded HDPE, 316 steel, and hemp rope - minimally ecotoxic and fully recyclable. This project won 1st prize in the 2024 ARMA Student Design Competition, and received a finalist position in the 2025 New Zealand Best Awards.

A marine conservation tool for culling kina - a native sea urchin that grazes on kelp. The overfishing of lobsters and snapper in the Hauraki gulf - kina's only natural predators - has caused a catastrophic boom in the kina population, and resulting decimation of coastal habitats. While healthy kina must be collected, malnourished kina found in barrens (ecological dead-zones left behind by kina herds) must be culled as part of population control. Because conservation divers often use snorkels, they are limited to depths of 5 meters, beyond which repeated dives are exceedingly taxing. The kina lance aimed to extend this effective range down to 8m depths, and allow kina to be culled without diving at shallowed depths, thereby reducing the workload for frontline conservationists.

Concept for a quick-release, premium rod holder for bike fishing. The Thule 'Outcast' aims to reduce the fuss of affixing and removing fishing gear, and is designed to be compatible with rods in and out of storage bags. This outcome was part of a rapid concept generation team project based on the design ethos of Thule - a high-end car/bike accessory brand.

Based on a piece of outdoors seating the designer saw somewhere in the world, and carried by its namesake in the gull-wing aerofoils present on certain historical aircraft. The center shelf - intended to facilitate a monitor or laptop - overhangs a space for stowing a keyboard when more desk space is needed. The longitudinal slots running down the design sit under the laptop fans to help with cooling. The “wing” shelves provide additional space for display/storage, and can overhang any desk’s perimeter, making it suitable for surfaces of any size.

A play-fort building kit utilising New Zealand strong wool. This project was a concept developed for the 'Campaign for Wool' initiative to incorporate more strong wool into commercial products given its dominance in NZ wool production. True to the environmental values of CFWNZ, Fortflox is designed with entirely recyclable/biodegradable materials - wool, aluminium, and natural rubber, with every component separable for disposal or cleaning.