ABSTRACT

In a product design research, which includes a children’s high chair project, it was necessary to develop a comfort cushion for children from 6 months to 3 years of age. This children’s furniture project sought for solutions adapted to the child, both physically and psychologically, enabling an extended product life cycle, and contributing to its sustainability. The starting point was the search for a bamboo lyocell fibre producer for the cushion cover, as well as of biopolymer or polymer foam producer for its filling, from Portugal. This study reports a literature review-based research, contacts with producers, and the prototyping process of the comfort cushion, describing interactions between academy and industry, including a partnership with the Portuguese company TintexTextiles. Although bamboo and biopolymers were not available, it was possible to produce the prototype and to conclude that connections between academy and industry may be an added value to every research project that include prototyping a product.