Awards

• Hong Kong Mold & Die Council Award 2002 – Best Mold Making Award

• Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2018 – Merit Award

• DRIVENxDESIGN Hong Kong Design Award 2018 – Gold Award

• Open InnoChallenge 2018 – Awarded Team

• The Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award – Awardee

• Green Hackathon Hong Kong 2019 – DBS Impact Award

• Melbourne Design Award 2019 – Gold Award

 Introduction

With Walkpner, you can upgrade a traditional walking stick to a smart cane with fall alert and GPS tracking features. Walkpner is a plug-in device applicable to over 95% of walking or hiking sticks on the market. In the event of an accident, the device will send alerts to passersby for assistance. It will also inform caregivers via text messages and phone notifications to help ensure the safety of the elderly as well as timely rescue. Catering for seniors with dementia, it employs USB and solar power charging technology to enable its charging-free feature.

Walkpner is designed by Creative HKAU, an Australia-based start-up design studio, with a moulding and production workshop operated in Hong Kong. Creative HKAU focuses on the development of eco-friendly and elderly products. It also provides services like on-demand design and 3D printing. Walking Partner Design Lab, as the executive company of Walkpner, is committed to designing and developing elderly daily necessities. The Lab sets its mission to enhance the quality of life for seniors while taking care of the needs of caregivers. To accomplish this, it strives to integrate innovative technology and user-friendly design in its products.

Team Vision

To tackle the problems posed by the ageing population, the existing services offered by the health-care system are not a satisfactory solution. To provide support for seniors, especially those with chronic illnesses, we need to develop new technologies and innovative products to address their needs.

What is/are the biggest challenge(s) you have ever faced?

Raising capital has always been the biggest challenge when developing tangible products. Whenever a design failure takes place in the process, we have to start over. Unconditional assistance is unattainable. After quitting our full-time jobs, we can only rely on our limited savings, and resources from winning competitions.

What have you learnt in the start-up process?

Throughout the process, from concept development, design to production, professional skills are essential in every stage. Without external support, we can only learn from making inquiries, conducting research, and constantly going through the process of trial and error.