Ideation of Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Development Goals: A Collaborative Course Between Thai and Japanese Students

Abstract

A collaborative course called Global Awareness for Technology Implementation was conducted by the Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. The objective of this course was to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, perspectives, and experiences between Thai and Japanese students through project work, using an engineering design approach and the design thinking process to create innovation relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the class, experts shared their knowledge and experiences with the students. The students then worked on their respective projects to develop solution concepts using the design thinking process. The proposed ideas include the application for English class, smart water quality checker, hydrogen-based energy system for rural area, reduced wasted fashion solution, and auto waste sorting machine. Finally, this study concluded with a summary of the results and findings on the empathy process in the chosen SDGs, and of the commonalities and differences between Thailand and Japan in terms of ideation.