Nov 10, 2025
Rooted at NC State: Red Dot Design Award Winner Showcases Research-Design-Industry Partnership
What began as a classroom challenge to improve care for mothers and newborns has grown into an award-winning medical device. After studying how hospital design made it difficult for mothers recovering from cesarean birth to reach their infants, NC State industrial design students collaborated with UNC researchers and design firm Trig to create the Couplet Care Bassinet. Now used in hospitals across the U.S., the bassinet allows new mothers to safely connect with their babies — a powerful example of design improving everyday lives.