The luxury car brand awarded $30,000 to three entrepreneurs in its Lexus Design with Purpose social innovation competition.
Press release published by Lexus (Lexus Design with Purpose is managed by FCPR)
Three designs with solutions to health and environmental problems won the program. Lexus Design with Purpose 2024, the automotive company's initiative for the third consecutive year, to foster the development of innovations that anticipate and solve social challenges.
Lexus Design with Purpose is an initiative focused on innovation and social commitment through design. For the brand, design is more than just superficial aesthetics; it is the ability to create projects that connect, integrate, simplify, and deliver solutions. This year, a prize of $10,000 was awarded to each of the entrepreneurs behind the following projects: RIO, Dosage Indicator Medicine Cap (DIMC), and BRICK.
«Faced with challenges in the areas of the environment, health, mobility, and education, entrepreneurs have the right conditions to design a better future. The creativity of this year’s winners inspires us and reaffirms Lexus’s commitment to innovation and social responsibility through design. »In this third year, three entrepreneurs presented ideas that demonstrate how design, combined with social awareness, results in functional projects that contribute to our community,” said Jaycie Dane, vice president of operations and general manager of Lexus at Puerto Rico.
Socially conscious thinkers and designers
Dr. Rosael Zeno Santi was one of the winners with the application for managing self-harming behaviors., Rio. The project stems from concerns about the prevalence of this behavior, particularly among college students at the Río Piedras Campus. With RIO, Dr. Zeno and her transdisciplinary research team at the University of Puerto Rico aim to address this issue with an innovative, accessible, and safe approach for the public. The $10,000 prize will be used to refine RIO 1.0 with advanced features for a better user experience and to launch version 2.0.
A medicine dosage indicator cap, DIMC, was the second winner, developed by entrepreneur Nelson G. Frontany Collazo. DIMC is a cap for medication bottles with an integrated dose indicator band to address the challenge of medication adherence due to forgetfulness. The idea to create a system for remembering to take the correct doses of medication stems from Frontany's experiences, shaped by daily life. The prize money will be used for the development of functional prototypes and final design testing.
The third prize was awarded to Francisco Guillermo Susmel and Sergio Ortiz Pagán for their design BRICK, A building block made from recyclable materials. Faced with the need to adapt the current construction model to the challenges of climate change, Susmel and Ortiz are developing construction materials based on ecological and social principles. The prize money will be invested in the production of prototypes and testing to identify the best materials that adapt to local construction needs.
According to Dane: «It's a big but very necessary responsibility to design for a better tomorrow. We're very excited to see these ideas come to life and eventually impact our community,” he said during the awards ceremony.
The projects will be carried out over the course of one year and were evaluated by a jury of experts from various disciplines. The jury was composed of Ms. Jocelyn Capeles of Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico, Katerina Sánchez of Grupo Guayacán, Professor Robin Planas from the UPR School of Architecture, designer Bea Rodríguez Suárez, Lexus public relations specialist Saskia Gómez at Puerto Rico, and Angélica M. Rubí Figueroa and Mily Hernández from the public relations firm Comstat.