The Robert Pataki Award for Healthcare Design encourages the next generation of designers and innovators to create conceptual design solutions aimed at helping to improve the quality of life for people living with a disability, who live in an aged care environment and for people working within the Healthcare System.

The Award is named in honour of Robert Pataki, OAM, recipient of the Australian Design Prize (2022) and Life Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia.

Imagine a world where sight through sound unlocks new dimensions of independence and mobility. This is becoming a life-changing reality, thanks to ARIA Research, the proud recipient of the inaugural Robert Pataki Award for their groundbreaking wearable technology, ARIA (Augmented Reality in Audio).

This trailblazing device that turns sound into sight for those who are blind or visually impaired. These sleek, futuristic glasses harness cutting-edge machine vision and AI to transform raw visual data into a rich, 3D auditory landscape, delivered through binaural speakers embedded in the arms of the glasses. This revolutionary technology empowers users to “see” through sound, dramatically boosting their sense of freedom and navigation.

Embodied in ARIA Research’s work is the very essence of the Robert Pataki Award: a relentless commitment to innovation and user-centric design. By collaborating closely with end users, the team tackles real-world challenges and advances assistive technology in meaningful ways. Their smart glasses are not just a leap forward – they are redefining the limits of what’s achievable.

Inspired by Daniel Kish’s remarkable echolocation techniques, ARIA blends spatial computing with AI to redefine how people navigate and interact with their surroundings.

In our recent chat with tech entrepreneur Robert Yearsley, he shared insights into the challenges and successes of developing transformative devices. Yearsley emphasised the crucial role of user-focused design and how Robert Pataki’s legacy continues to drive innovation.

[Winner of the 2024 Robert Pataki Award for Healthcare Design Winner – ARIA. Image: Aria Research]

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GDA: What were the main design challenges faced during ARIA’s development?

Robert Yearsley: The first is miniaturisation. It is a major design challenge when developing new, efficient algorithms and hardware technology to compact all this amazing technology into an acceptable package. We’re getting close to the final version.

The second is figuring out how to actually render the world through sound, so it isn’t just through speech. We could put labels on the sounds of objects where they are in space, and just play that out like a fire hose. The problem is, if you look around your desk, there’s probably 20 or 30 different objects, and if we just bladed all that information at you, you’d tear the device off and, because it’d be horrible. And indeed that’s where we started. 

So there’s a really interesting design challenge to build a philharmonic presentation of spatial sound that is pleasing and informative. So this is kind of like inventing music, and indeed, we take cues from music, but also environmental sound as well, to make a convincing simulation or portrayal in real time. So, a major challenge is to invent a new form of perception that transforms visual-spatial information into aural-spatial information – something that hasn’t been done before. This is a large part of our work.

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GDA: Can you tell us more about the design team behind this innovation?

Robert Yearsley: At the outset, the design of the company itself was very deliberate. The history of assistive technology is more or less what we call the assistive technology graveyards. So before Mark and I started the company, we conducted a root cause analysis to understand why that’s the case. We found close to 60 different attempts at developing assistive technologies for people with vision disabilities in the last 20 years. That’s a lot, including everything from robotic guide dogs to canes, and head-worn devices, among other things.

There seemed to be a common thread: a lack of engagement with the customer, the end user. Very early on, we decided that rather than diving into product design and development, we would spend close to two years meeting with and speaking with the end user about what their problems actually were and what we went up with. 

It was a significant leap in design thinking because most assistive technology and solutions for vision disability revolve around trying to correct. What we found in speaking with blind people is that they didn’t care so much about fixing the eye. What they want to do is make their life a bit easier from the perspective of already being blind. And they’re very, very different things. So at the core, we discovered very, very quickly that the co-designer was going to be make or break for the success or failure of the company.

So we invested heavily in developing relationships with leading thinkers in the blind community to inform these design decisions. And it wasn’t just a study up front where we get a list of requirements and we disappear for five years and go build it – that also would have ended in failure. What we decided to do is employ blind subject matter experts, bring them into the company, and part of their role is to basically help us course correct, because sighted assumptions equal bad products. 

We have this well informed process where we can continually tweak, improve, course correct and iterate towards the right kind of solutions. And that’s made all the difference for us, and we will continue to do that and build upon it.

[Winner of the 2024 Robert Pataki Award for Healthcare Design – ARIA Research Team. Image: Aria Research]

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GDA: What is ARIA’s potential health economic impact in reducing system costs?

Robert Yearsley: One of them is mobility. For instance, the NDIS is delivered through sighted guides. This means paying someone to drive out to your house, pick you up, help at home, and run some errands. This totals about 6.7 hours of service per week, costing close to $21,000 a year, which is quite substantial.

ARIA can potentially complement the use of a sighted guide to enhance perception, but we also believe it will eventually serve as a substitute. There is a significant difference between getting out and about by hanging onto someone’s arm and getting out and about with a colleague, a friend, or even a worker on your own terms. That’s the true potential of ARIA.

Regarding the mobility use case, with about $21,000 to $22,000 a year for 6.7 hours a week, ARIA would come in at roughly half that cost, while increasing access to mobility from 6.7 hours a week up to about 100 or 120 hours a week. So, we go from expensive and scarce mobility to a situation where mobility is cheap and almost always available at will. Additionally, sighted guides are human and need to be booked in advance. Currently, personal mobility has to be scheduled in advance, potentially a week or two before you actually need it. The ability to travel out of your home at will would be life-changing for people with vision disabilities.

Another important aspect is that with independent travel and movement, there are a range of health benefits. Notably, the number one comorbidity experienced by people living with blindness is depression. It’s not surprising – being alone much of the time and dependent on others can significantly limit one’s world. Expanding someone’s world and physical movement can have a direct impact on mental health, which is incredibly exciting about this technology.

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GDA: How does ARIA exemplify “The Design Effect” by using innovative design approaches to solve significant problems and impact users and communities?

Robert Yearsley: I think this has been a confluence of good things. I think that careful understanding of failure first – I’ve mentioned before that the assistive technology graveyard is what you really need to pay attention to – because it’ll tell you, first of all, what not to do, but it’ll also provide insights into the negative space, the things that weren’t looked at.

And for us, it was a happy convergence between emerging technologies and opportunity. I’m talking about artificial intelligence here, and, you know, lightweight mobile technology. It’s a new toolbox. Combine that with a really big unsolved problem.

Okay, so you’ve got new technology – think of a Venn diagram with new technology here. You’ve got a massive unsolved problem over here that the technology can enable a solution for. And then you’ve got an opportunity. For us, opportunity took the form of designing and engaging with the end user.

RIA had a massive amount of decline to actually build credibility and trust with leaders in the blind community, and the way to do that was to collaborate, is to actually make them part of the process.

So it just made straightforward sense to actually build a design process around not only co-design but also building by and for the customer. That meant really bringing them well inside the company, listening to difficult feedback sometimes, but fully embracing the problems that they thought were important – not us, the engineers and designers – and basically holding that in both respect and reflection of what they’re asking for and what they actually might really need.

So, it’s the Venn diagram of technology innovation, a large unsolved problem, and this opportunity to pull together the components needed and the insights required to do a good job. So that’s kind of our design approach.

[Winner of the 2024 Robert Pataki Award for Healthcare Design ARIA Benchtop Prototype 2021. Image: Aria Research]

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GDA: What does the spirit of Robert Pataki mean to you? 

Robert Yearsley: He did some pretty incredible work. And that spirit of innovation in good design that can have a great impact, about practical problem solving, I think is something that should be encouraged.

There’s no shortage of problems out there, but good solutions are very difficult to arrive at. And his work exemplified the work you actually put in to arrive at those kinds of solutions.

As a recipient of the award, I would be pushing for other designers to be thinking about that – solving big but practical problems, and getting to the nitty-gritty of what the end user really, really wants and needs.

In this spirit, the Pataki family shared their thoughts, “The Pataki family is excited to have ARIA Research be the worthy recipient of the inaugural Robert Pataki Healthcare Award.” 

THE INDIGENOUS DESIGN AWARD RECOGNISES AND CELEBRATES THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION THAT AUSTRALIA’S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER DESIGNERS MAKE ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF AUSTRALIAN DESIGN.

Signal Fire receives this prestigious award under Nicole Monks’ leadership at mili mili.

Australia’s rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage finds a powerful expression in Signal Fire. Standing proudly on the Freshwater headland, this artwork is more than just a landmark; it’s a thoughtful design that connects us to the stories of the land.

Signal Fire marks the beginning of the Northern Beaches Coast Walk and stands as a symbol of connection and community. Inspired by the ancient tradition of signal fires that communicated messages across Australia’s east coast for thousands of years, this public art piece invites both reflection and celebration. It honours not only the past but also the living culture that continues to enrich our Communities today.

Commissioned by the Northern Beaches Council for the Coast Walk Public Art project, Signal Fire was designed by Nicole Monks, Creative Director and Founder of the design studio mili mili. With her Yamaji Wajarri, Dutch, and English heritage, Nicole created the piece to honour Aboriginal culture, drawing deeply from Indigenous design principles and practices.

The project was a truly collaborative effort, with Nicole and her team collaborating closely with AG Public Art, the local Aboriginal enterprise Bush to Bowl, Local Knowledge holder and Community, Aboriginal Heritage Office (at Freshwater) and the Council’s bush regeneration teams to integrate endemic native plants into the surrounding landscape. 

Local Elders and knowledge holders generously shared their profound connection to the land, guiding every step of the design process. Nicole and her team immersed themselves in Community, weaving and gathering insights and stories into every detail – from selecting the location and refining design elements to choosing materials and incorporating the story and graphics of Banksia. Each aspect of the design celebrates the area’s rich cultural tapestry.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Nicole to dive into how this collaborative approach not only shapes the artwork but also allows it to tell its own unique story.

[Winner of the 2024 Australian Good Design Award Indigenous Design Award | Team]

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GDA: How did the design of “Signal Fire” successfully integrate the Northern Beaches Council’s vision to create a beacon landmark, with the local Aboriginal community’s priorities for sensitivity to Country and storytelling?

Nicole Monks: It was an international expression of interest, and from there, they did a shortlist, and we were the only Aboriginal Company shortlisted. I knew people from the northern beaches, one being Adam, from Bush to Bowl, and so I could have conversations with him prior to pitching an idea for that space, on what they thought would be a good fit for their community. 

But there was a lot of weight knowing there was a possibility no Aboriginal story of that place being told, if we didn’t do a good enough pitch.

The conversations with Community revealed that they wanted it to be integrated into the space using natural materials, avoiding shiny stainless steel or other materials that didn’t reflect the natural environment. And as a place to watch the whales and connect with the environment.

The idea was to support the natural experience of standing on the headland and to tell a story from that place. The stories I had read, written up in the Cook journals and first contact, were about the signal fires going off all along the Headlands.

I lived in Manly and Collaroy, and I knew those areas quite well, including the headlands. From that vantage point, you can see all the way from North Head to Long Reef. Even though there’s no recorded evidence, it’s highly probable that there would have been some sort of marker along those headlands for communications.

So it was talking about that moment in time, you know, when the colonists first came, and the response to that – the signal fires that lit up all along the east coast. 

Once we won the project local knowledge holders wanted to set it back so the headland could be the feature and incorporate the story of the Banskia and how mob carry fire from one place to another in the Banksia cone. So they’ll take that as an ember, then they’ll carry it to another place, and then they will relight it from there. So they were really keen to tell that story.

Local mob also said it was a woman’s place. So we focused on the women to connect with the artwork by providing photographs and sketches of banksias from the area and other ones that were actually on site.

We enlarged them, and burned them into the deck. Using fire again to burn those into the deck was part of a workshop with the women, and selecting the locations, figuring out where to put them, and authentically layer the artwork with those stories.

The objective was to create something transformative, engaging for the local community and visitors. When people come from out of town, they take them there and share local stories. It is an Aboriginal place.

[Winner of the 2024 Good Design Award Indigenous Design Award – Signal Fire]

GDA: How did the active involvement of community members, along with the First Nations public art team Mili Mili, influence the final design and execution of the Signal Fire?

Nicole Monks: I think for us to have a connection to place we need to understand the places and spaces we inhabit. Only then can we truly connect with where we live, work and play.

The most authentic connection comes from the people who are tied to that land and the knowledge holders from that land. They have an uninterrupted relationship with the place and its stories, the depth of knowledge and culture is really amazing. 

We had the Aboriginal Community involved from the beginning to the end, keeping an open dialogue throughout the entire process. We had an evening on Country where we just had a fire. 

We had a big community consultation, which included the Aboriginal community and the broader community as well, to introduce them to the project. I think it was the biggest response they’d ever had. At the opening we had singing and ceremony up there using the center stone to grind the ochre on.

Artworks like this have the ability to bring the community together. Once the community is involved, these projects are pulled into that community. If you have watched a project develop and grow, and have been part of that process from beginning to end, when it’s finally there, you are part of that.

I want to thank the Community for their contributions to this design.

GDA: What impact has it had on the broader community’s engagement with Aboriginal culture and heritage?

Nicole Monks: I hope when Aboriginal people go there, they can really feel a real sense of belonging. But the community there, the general wider community there, has been extremely supportive. 

There’s videos and lots of photographers taking images. The Aboriginal community often calls me to say they took visitors from out of town there or went up to watch the whales. They’ve become really proud.

Even kids in kindergarten. So they’ve taken them all up there, and they’ve sat them all around the stone, and then they’ve done an acknowledgement of Country with all of these little children in this space on the headland, totally immersing themselves in the land.

The work I do, I say, I work like a conduit. I’m there to help mob tell their story how they want it to be told, I can shift and shape and move things around to make sure that story is told the way they want it to be. 

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[Winner of the 2024 Good Design Award Indigenous Design Award Signal Fire – Freshwater headland]

Honouring authentic community driven-design

Good Design Australia is proud to honour a project that not only respects and reflects the cultural heritage of the Northern Beaches but also fosters a genuine connection between visitors and the land’s stories. 

The collaborative process has not only created a visually striking landmark but has also strengthened community ties and deepened the broader community’s appreciation of Aboriginal culture.