Sentino is the latest entry in the Blackwood Design Awards 2015 that we bring to you. It is designed by R.D. Silva, a machinist at an iron foundry. He enjoys solving problems both in theory and in practice. He has worked in various fields including science, the arts and fabrication to better understand problems and be able to find answers to any question that may occur.

Ramon studied Industrial Drafting for two years in high school, and then before obtaining his first B.A. in Graphic Design and 3D Visualization in 2003. He returned to school in 2006 and gained his second B.A in Product Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. His background consists of graphic design, AutoCad and industrial drafting, basic engineering, art, fabrication, 3D modelling, product design, biology, chemistry, physics, and various other fields of science.  

His entry for the Blackwood Design Awards, Sentino, is an energy efficient and environmentally friendly induction cook-top for everyone, and benefits visually impaired or blind people the most with its UX/UI design. It is easy to locate the cooking surfaces according to users’ needs, which allows cooking to be more flexible in different places, and not necessarily restricted in the places with the use of conventional gas or electric cooking surfaces. In addition, its linear controls instead of circular once could aid the users to gauge the temperature easily. Furthermore, with its artificial sound, no open flames and produces no heat, this induction cooktop is relatively user friendly and safe.

You can see more details about Sentino in the video below:

In addition, bespoken caught up with Ramon to find out a little bit more about his design and the thoughts behind it…

Is there a story behind Sentino? Why would you want to design an induction cook-top?

The story behind the Sentino evolved from designing a convenient portable, easily modifiable cooking surface that is universally accessible. I wanted the cooktop to be electric and not gas for safety reasons, however, electric cooktops are relatively inefficient to gas in cooking capabilities. In my research I learned about induction technology. Induction technology has been around for over a century and is a much more efficient and safer method of cooking than both gas and electric cooktops because the surface does not produce any direct heat. As the design evolved, I felt it was important that the design be intuitive. Induction provided the flexibility of modification of the design form, the energy efficiency of electric cooktops and the cooking efficiency of gas. Most conventional induction cooktops do not provide an analogue interaction that is critical for the visually impaired. The use of intuitive sound, texture, surface changes, and contrasting details are design features I implemented in the Sentino Cooktop because these features can be universally understood in any spectrum of human capabilities.

As you mentioned that Sentino benefits visually impaired/blind people, what motivated you to design a device for this group?

Most modern technology and designs today have ignored a vast group of users. Smart Phones with touch screens are a good example. Although most smart phones may have the capability of adding sound to inform the user of the task being done, it is not always implemented in other areas of design and not always the most efficient. It requires computer software and complex electronics to inform the user of what is being done. When cooking, every second counts. It is more energy efficient and cost effective to add form factor details that can achieve the same task as a complex computer telling you what that detail does. A challenge I encountered was not having my peers understand the simplicity of the design. I received questions like, "won't blind people get burned?" "why not add braille?" " it's easier to add digital push buttons and have a computer tell you the temperature." The list goes on. These are not accurate gauges when cooking. Some people may have recently lost their sight thru trauma, disease, or old age and may not be capable of reading braille. Cooking is an experience that people with the ability to see may ignore or take for granted. The smells, the sounds, the feeling, the timing of cooking are important. Designing an induction cooktop for the blind seemed like a natural alternative.

What challenges did you encounter during the design process?

I spent time researching the visually impaired by visiting a local foundation (Lighthouse San Francisco) to help me with questions I had. They have a cooking class for the blind, so I figured it would be the best place to start.  I also spent time in the kitchen wearing a blind fold to have a basic understanding of the kitchen environment. Understanding basic physical habits, attention to the environment and other experiences a blind person may encounter were important. What modern induction cooktops lacked in was form. I took the best intuitive experiences and features of cooking with gas and electric cooktops and applied them to my design. I also took feedback from the instructor of the blind cooking class of features and benefits each individual may have with a varying array of types of cooking processes and applied most to the Sentino.

What’s your current goal for this product? Is there any specific part that you are still working on to improve the product?

I would like an actual working prototype. The design lends itself to easy form modification and would I like to create two or three versions of the design to be fully tested by the community. I would ideally like the sentino to inform the world of the efficiency of induction cooktops and gain our Independence from fossil fuels.

How would you describe Sentino in one sentence? Could you name three features that make Sentino special?

Sentino is an intuitive analogue induction cooktop that is safer, energy efficient, and more environmentally friendly than any modern cooktop to date.

Three features:  Energy Efficient, Improved cooking power, Intuitive analogue design.

What would winning the design award mean for you and your design?

It would mean affirmation by the design community, in both my personal and professional capacity as a designer. I want to have a career where I can improve our world thru natural empathetic design.

Winning this award will bring me one step closer to making that a reality.

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