A UNIST-based startup, O’Connect announced that it has won a major title in the domestic competition of James Dyson Award 2022, an annual design competition for engineering and product design students.
O’Connect is a student-led startup company, comprised of CEO Hyeongjun Bang (Department of Chemistry, UNIST), CMO SoHee Shin (Department of Business Administration, UNIST), CTO JinSeo Park (Department of Mechanical Engineering, UNIST), and CDO KyuHwan Shim (Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sogang University). They earned recognition for excellence in design for showcasing the One-Step, a power strip featuring rotating sockets.
One-Step, a power strip featuring rotating sockets, designed by O’Connect. l Image Credit: O’Connect
One-Step is a smart power strip that provides easy connectivity to electronic devices at once at your home and office without having to worry about plug directions. Besides, since it is equipped with rotating sockets, it will automatically change its direction in the right direction even when plugging in from the wrong direction.
The power plugs and sockets used in Korea are Type C (Europlug) and Plug Type F (German Schuko), having two round holes. O’Connect plans to adopt new standards for Type X plugs with four holes by adding two more holes. The new power strip is expected to be of great help to the visually impaired, the elderly, the blind, and even children.
Meanwhile, the James Dyson Award is an international design competition held both locally and internationally to provide opportunities for young design engineers to showcase their ideas on a global stage. Run by the James Dyson Foundation, the competition is open to current and recent design engineering students.
