A proposal to use a new generation of street lamps to improve the mobile internet coverage in the cities have secured three newly qualified industrial designers from Aalborg University, the Danish telecommunications industry special price for students.

The winners of telecommunications price 2012 for students: Anders Backe, Troels Rask Pedersen and Anne-Sofie Voss from AAU.Prisen was awarded the telecommunications industry's annual meeting, and it went to Anne-Sofie Voss, Troels Rask Pedersen and Anders Backe for the project "Mobile Antennas". The idea for the project arose when the three started to look for ways to integrate small mobile antennas in urban space. - When we found out that at EU level is determined that street lights are to be replaced with more energy efficient LED, it was obvious to kill several birds with one stone and develop a street lamp with upgrades to the antenna station. It can help to meet future capacity needs, which are in cities, says Anders Backe. Street lamps with dual function as a light source and mobile antenna. Price from telecom sector has given the group the courage to seek support to further develop the idea. - As it looks now, the interest in the project enormous. Time will tell whether it will be realized in the form proposed as a street lamp or any other solution. But it clearly indicates that the concept of the type of deployment is a step in the right direction, says Anders Backe.

Result of broad cooperation

The final project is the result of a multi-annual cooperation with some parties involved. Researchers from Industrial Design and the Department of Electronic Systems has been in the project along with businesses Telcon and Telenor. Design and technology meet in the industrial designers' award-winning proposals. Associate Professor Kaare Eriksen from the Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, which has been the main supervisor for the student and his colleague Thomas Arvid Jaeger, praises the students to have found a solution that connects the many divergent interests: - Everyone will have mobile coverage everywhere, but no one can bear to look at unsightly antennas. The final project here solves the problem with the proposal for a lamp that integrates design and technology in a new way. The design students have also analyzed the relationship between municipalities and telecommunications companies and suggested business models that benefit all parties in the meeting, says Kaare Eriksen. He also welcomes that the award-winning project shows the power of combining a technically deep and broad approach. The kind he and his colleagues from AAU design education like more of: - We hope that we can put several similar projects with other institutes and research areas who want to break the silo thinking and bring their knowledge into play as draft new products that can be part of an attractive interaction with their environment, says Kaare Eriksen. Source: AAU