ROLE

Individual project

Graduation project @ Central Saint Martins

DURATION

4 months (18 weeks)

TOOLS

Fusion 360 l Rhino l Photoshop l Illustrator

Kuwa - A two-person city bike with energy generation

OVERVIEW

Kuwa is a city bike designed for two riders, integrating style, sustainability, and energy generation. I identified three key challenges in urban cycling: lack of collective travel options, limited access to renewable power, and the dominance of purely performance-focused e-bikes. To address these, I developed Kuwa, a lightweight injection-moulded composite frame bike with a dynamo hub motor that generates electricity while riding. The bike powers onboard devices and can store surplus energy for later use, creating independence from traditional charging infrastructure. Kuwa balances fashion and function, offering a practical yet expressive solution for modern urban commuters and digital nomads.

01 INTRO

Inital Question

How can we improve the live of prosthetic limb users by enhancing functionality or/and aesthetics?

STEMS BRIEF

In many low-income countries, people who suffer a traumatic injury struggle to return to work. After an amputation, return-to-work (RTW) rates vary widely, from 43% to 70% in construction, and often much lower in agriculture. The gap is linked to access: healthcare, rehabilitation, and supportive work structures are harder to reach in rural or resource-limited areas.

For many, this means they are unable to re-enter employment, becoming dependent on family or society, and in some cases forced into begging. The problem is not just medical but economic and social and it raises a vital design question: how can functional prosthetics be made more accessible to those who need them most?

02 INSIGHTS

WHATS MY INSIGHT

I found that there isn’t enough medical care in low-income countries to help people return to work after amputation. This is often due to financial strain and a lack of trained staff. The cost of a prosthetic is on average between $4,500 and $50,000, making it far too expensive for most people to afford. A large portion of this cost comes from the fitting and expertise required, not just the materials themselves. Therefore, creating a prosthetic that reduces or removes the service charge could lower the overall price significantly, allowing for a high-quality, low-cost prosthetic that is actually accessible.

“On average, a single prosthetic limb costs (USD) $4,500 and can go as high as (USD) $50,000.”

- Engineering for Change

WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE?

Material and Technology - expensive material and technology is being used to get state of the art prosthetics which is expensive when you are just trying to gain independence.

Labour Fees - People charge a very high cost for their expertises in the creation of a prosthetic.

Regulation - Prosthetics go through rigorous testing that costs a lot, which is then added to the cost of the prosthetic. As well as some companies add a mark up on this.

Manufacturing - Precision manufacturing is used to make one off prosthetics for a specific person.

03 MY DESIGN CHALLENGE

04 RESEARCH

How can I design a prosthetic arm that is affordable, clinic-free, and practical for people in low-income countries, enabling them to return to work and daily life without relying on expensive medical services?”

05 IDEATION

DESIGNING WITH A MODEL

This foam arm acted as the reference user throughout the project, since finding people with upper-limb amputations to collaborate with is challenging due to their status as a vulnerable and protected group.

DESIGNING WITH A MODEL

IDEATION AND TESTING

This stage focused on turning early ideas into practical exploration. I began by sketching directly over printouts of the foam arm, developing concepts that mapped proportions and functions. From there, I built quick paper and cardboard models to see how forms might behave in three dimensions.

06 MATIERAL TESTING

IDEATION AND TESTING

06 MATIERAL TESTING

SD SCANNING AND DESIGN

When beginning the 3D stage, I explored scanning as a way to create custom prosthetics for each user. While the method showed promise, it still had bugs,

OVERVIEW

PCL is a biodegradable polyester widely used in medicine and design. It softens in hot water, allowing easy moulding and reshaping. Strong yet flexible, it supports repeated use, making it ideal for prosthetics and custom-fit medical applications.

07 PROTOTYPING

SD SCANNING AND DESIGN

When beginning the 3D stage, I explored scanning as a way to create custom prosthetics for each user. While the method showed promise, it still had bugs, meaning fit adjustments were necessary. This reinforced PCL as the best material choice, since it could be remoulded easily. From these scans I built early strap prototypes, experimenting with TPU and paper to refine rough dimensions, before moving into more precise digital modelling in Fusion 360 and Rhino.

SD SCANNING AND DESIGN

Inspiration

”Alone, it’s just a journey. Now adventures, they must be shared”

- Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien

Process

My daily commute and observation of city cycling culture inspired me to create this graduation project. More specifically, I noticed how limited options for collective travel and the reliance on battery-charging e-bikes created barriers for urban riders. To deeply understand these challenges, I carried out user interviews and mapped urban cycling journeys, capturing the emotions and frustrations of riders in different scenarios. Eventually, I defined three essential pain points of their experience: the lack of bikes designed for two people, dependence on external charging, and the dominance of performance-driven rather than lifestyle-driven bike design.

Spontaneous Lifestyle

Co - Travel

07 TECHNICAL PACKAGE