As current cleaning targets are not achieved, Amsterdam requested to explore the potential for robots to contribute to a cleaner city. This thesis focused on exploring how a robot could contribute. A contextual analysis, reviewing literature and municipal documents, showed an increasing need for improved waste management efficiency in response to Amsterdam’s growth, increasing tourism and sustainability goals. However, increasing labour shortages and demographic ageing make it difficult to rely solely on additional human labour in the coming years.
To further analyse the context, employees of department Schoon were accompanied and interviewed. Six key values were identified contributing to job satisfaction - safeguarding these is crucial for successful robot implementation, including freedom and dislike of heavy work. Challenges were also identified, including labour shortages and reduced efficiency.
To determine where a robot could add value, three main waste problems in Amsterdam were identified and analysed. Inefficient waste management and littering behaviour were often the cause. To understand this behaviour, key influencing factors were identified and used in the analysis and thesis.
Furthermore, by analysing key factors of waste management behaviour, it was found that a cleaning robot can potentially trigger motivators for littering behaviour, suggesting that the robot's task influences waste management behaviour. Furthermore, when identifying factors influencing HRI, it was found that rewarding interactions can motivate proper behaviour, suggesting that robots can contribute to a cleaner environment without having to clean.
Based on the findings, specific requirements and a design vision for the robot were established, emphasising promoting proper waste management behaviour, ownership and waste management efficiency. To communicate the vision to the municipality, two concepts were developed, the Mobile Robot Bin and Mobile Robot Container. The Robot Bin aims to motivate proper behaviour through rewarding interactions and to increase waste collection efficiency. To align with Amsterdam's identity and raise awareness, the appearance will be created in collaboration with local artists.
The Robot Container focuses on providing waste disposal options at will in the city centre, optimising waste management efficiency and reducing littering behaviour, as the current policy allows residents to place waste outside twice a week. The concept reduces the physical burden on employees by eliminating the need to collect waste from the street and minimises the need for heavy waste trucks in the centre.
To assess the concepts’ value and feasibility in contributing to a cleaner Amsterdam, stakeholders from the municipality of Amsterdam, department Schoon and AMS Institute evaluated them. Both received positive feedback, with the Robot Container being identified as the most promising solution for achieving a cleaner Amsterdam. However, challenges such as vandalism need to be addressed before implementation. Nevertheless, stakeholders were enthusiastic and asked about implementation activities. A roadmap outlining these activities was developed and evaluated by the AMS expert. However, further research is needed to develop and implement the robots to achieve a cleaner Amsterdam.

This thesis proposes the YpsoMate Refill concept design: an autoinjector that can be refilled at a Refill Hub to reduce its environmental impact. After five reuses, it has a 60% lower CO2e impact than the single-use YpsoMate. The concept design aims to inspire the non-profit Alliance to Zero in their journey towards a sustainable pharmaceutical sector.

The YpsoMate autoinjector is a popular and convenient self-injection device used for various conditions, but its single-use design generates a significant amount of waste and CO2 emissions. To turn this wasteful linear life cycle into a circular one, this report analyses current autoinjectors on their ease of disassembly and their environmental impact, using tools like HotSpot Mapping, Disassembly Maps, and Life Cycle Assessments.

The project’s outcome is a visionary concept design for transitioning autoinjectors into the Circular Economy – the YpsoMate Refill. The proposal includes interventions to reduce the part count from 19 to 17 to minimize CO2e emissions. Moreover, it contains a new product architecture that enables quick and easy automated dis- and reassembly for reuse. Additionally, the use of a limited amount of commonly recycled bio-based plastics supports recycling at the end of life.

The circular product life cycle involves returning the used autoinjector at a Refill Hub, where it undergoes automated disassembly, disinfection, replacement of the prefilled syringe, a rigorous quality check, and reassembly. Finally, it is sealed with a new medicine-specific label to provide patients with a fresh and trustworthy product.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) confirms that even if the YpsoMate Refill is not reused, its environmental impact is approximately 25% lower (excluding the use-phase) than the single-use YpsoMate. This is thanks to the use of bioplastics and its reduced part count. Moreover, the LCA shows that the YpsoMate Refill emits approximately 50% less CO2e than the single-use YpsoMate after one reuse (two use-cycles) and approximately 65% after five reuses.

Compared to the single-use YpsoMate, the YpsoMate Refill is much easier to dis- and reassemble. While I had to break parts of the single-use YpsoMate during disassembly, the YpsoMate Refill features reusable connections. Due to its subassemblies, it requires only three steps to reach any part in the YpsoMate Refill, in comparison to nine steps for the single-use YpsoMate. Moreover, the entire device can be disassembled in eight tasks, compared to the twenty-one tasks required for the single-use YpsoMate.

In conclusion, the YpsoMate Refill concept offers a sustainable, convenient, and safe alternative to single-use autoinjectors. It aims to inspire the non-profit Alliance to Zero in their journey towards a sustainable pharmaceutical sector and provides patients with the opportunity to take care of their health without harming the environment.

Technologies related to reproduction and fertility follow each other in a rapid tempo as we stand at the start of the biotechnological revolution. How could these technologies which are able to radically alter our evolution alter our families and lives? Big questions with no direct answer.

Within this project speculation and exploration about possible futures within reproduction are constructed using Vision in Product design. A wide variety of information, from literature research to interviews is gathered and formed into clusters that aim to provide a future world-view. This future world-view is the basis that helps the designer create a statement which is a pivotal moment as the statement defines the designers response to the future world-view.
Interaction characteristics help translate this response into actual experiences for the user and last but not least into the to be designed ‘product’,

In the case of this project the product is an speculative exhibit that aims to make the visitor aware of the impact of new reproductive technologies and add to the conversation about our reproductive futures. The focus within the exhibit lies on new types of families that reproductive technologies could create and asks the visitor to think about their personal limits around this new radical make-ability in reproduction.

In order to make the exhibit come to life, 3D drawings, prototypes and storyboards are created. A website allows all aspects of the exhibit to come together and is used as a tool to evaluate the design of the exhibit.

Empathy is one of the 8 design competences of the study Communication & Multimedia Design at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. However, there is a gap within the curriculum regarding actively teaching students what it means to be an empathic designer, and it has not been completely clear what it actually means to be an empathic designer. Based on my research, I came up with the following design goal: to help students use empathy consciously throughout their design projects. Within this context, I came up with the following design focus: Offering structure and clarity within the development of empathic abilities.Based on literary research, field research and designing by doing, I came up with my final concept: the Empathic Habits program. The Empathic Habits program clarifies the meaning of professional empathy in design, helps students reflect upon their own abilities, and helps them increase their abilities in an easy way At the start of the second year, CMD-students who join the program participate in their first Empathic Habits workshop. At this point, most students are not aware of what they have yet to learn; they are unconsciously incompetent. Before the workshop, students do an empathic abilities-test in which they are rated on 5 empathic sub-abilities. Together, these abilities make up what it means to be an empathic designer. At the start of the workshop they analyse their results: what are their strengths and weaknesses? In this introspection process, students move from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence. During the next part of the workshop, students get to practise their weakest empathic ability by interviewing each other. They are to use at least 3 mini-activity-cards corresponding with the empathic ability they are going to practise. These cards contain short, simple assignments which students can use in any user research setting. At the end of the first workshop, the students reflect upon what they have learned and how they want to further develop their empathic abilities. For students who join the follow-up program, it continues over the next 6-8 weeks with weekly or bi-weekly reflection sessions with fellow students and a teacher. Every week, they are to try new activities and reflect upon what works for them and why. By adding mini-activities to their repertoire one by one, they develop empathic habits, making them more empathic designers. They move from being consciously incompetent to consciously competent. Assuming students keep using the mini-activities, through the years that follow, the mini-activities will become second nature: they will become unconscious habits. In this process, students and/or graduates move from being consciously competent to unconsciously competent.

Ordering things online is increasing in popularity. This causes logistical problems in the urban space, such as congestion, emissions and other irritations. As autonomous vehicle technology is becoming mature, a new opportunity arises: autonomous parcel delivery. During this graduation assignment with Ford, an autonomous urban delivery system was conceptualized for European cities, integrating technological-, user- and business aspects. After performing thorough analysis and user research, a set of conceptual vehicles and other elements was developed, prototyped and tested with users.

The assistance dogs provided by KNGF Geleidehonden are extremely helpful and important for people in a wheelchair with physical disabilities. These dogs wear assistance dog vests, when going outside, to communicate that they are service dogs. Some issues with the assistance dog vest exist however, because of which this graduation project focussed on redesigning the assistance dog vest.

Current Product
The assistance dog vest was examined and a user research was done. It was found that the assistance dog vest has three functionality goals for the clients; to show that the dog is an official KNGF Geleidehonden dog, to communicate that the dog should not be distracted, and to explain that the dog is helping the client. However, currently many dogs are often distracted, which is considered as a functionality issue. Furthermore, it was found that the clients have many different physical disabilities often resulting in limited strength in the hands and arms. Because of this, the usability of putting the assistance dog vest on the dog and taking it off is difficult for the clients, because of the bellyband, which is considered as a usability issue.

Redesign
A redesign was created focussing on solving both the functionality and the usability issue. A concept for an assistance dog collar was created. In order to solve the issue that dogs are often distracted, the shape of the redesigned product was inspired by human uniforms, to convey authority and empathy. Lenticular colour-coded shoulder patches are added to create a distraction and barrier between people and the assistance dog. Furthermore the imprint is chosen to clearly explain the situation. The usability of the assistance dog collar is designed to be suitable for the client, by changing the vest into a collar, in which its functionalities are integrated. This way, the issues with the bellyband are removed. Furthermore a magnetic snap-lock fastener, a Fidlock, is added to the product to enable the client to easily open and close the collar, without requiring much strength in the hands and arms.

Validation
In order to validate the concept, three user tests, focussing on the wearability of the concept for the dog, the usability of the concept for the clients and the functionality of the concept for other people, were done. This resulted in recommendations for the physical design of the concept and for further research. Certain physical aspects of the concept can be improved, mainly concerning the fixation of the assistance dog collar on the assistance dog and the usability of the collarband. It is recommended to create a smaller sized product with more curved shapes for easier fixation, and to use a improved version of the collarband, which had positive test results. For successful implementation of the concept within KNGF Geleidehonden, the wearability and embodiment of the product should be developed further. The functionality of the product and the experience of both client and other people should be researched over a longer period of time.