Cross Pod Self Standing Cane by Koji Sato is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronze A' Design Award in Fashion and Travel Accessories Design Competition Category.
BronzeAccessory· 2026
Cross Pod Self Standing Cane
by Koji Sato
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Accessory Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #178817The Design
About Cross Pod Self Standing Cane
This product brings convenience to the 1 point cane. During walking, the leg section at the tip of the cane closes, enabling nimble handling comparable to a standard 1 point cane. When stationary, open the leg to instantly stand stable. The folding legs, designed to avoid obstructing walking, provide stable support only when needed. Convenience and sophisticated design bring the fun. This design feels like a product that goes being a mere walking aid to support the user's lifestyle.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Cross Pod Self Standing Cane is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Cross Pod Self Standing Cane is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Cross Pod Self Standing Cane splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
Fun to use!
Something that is enjoyable to use.
I also aim for designs that allow the user to express themselves through the object.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
It is about the balance of the product.
Something convenient, easy to use, and beautiful, all at just the right price.
We aimed to create a product that offers true value overall.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
I currently export my products not only within Japan but also to six other countries: Germany, Canada, Thailand, South Korea, China, and Taiwan.
I hope that this award will enable me to reach even more countries.
Grand Interview
The Cross Pod Self Standing Cane achieves something that had never been realized before in the single-point cane category, earning recognition within one of the world's most prestigious design competitions, the A' Design Award, and yet it is possible that certain layers of thought embedded in the design remain unexplored in public conversation. Is there a particular dimension of the Cross Pod Self Standing Cane that you feel deserves far greater attention, something you are especially proud of that you would like the world to fully understand?
In the fields of welfare and elderly care products, functionality is still the top priority, isn't it?In this context, I hope that the products I create will not only provide convenience but also bring joy to everyday life.Simply improving inconveniences with convenient functions only brings the negative aspects closer to zero.I hope that using CrossPod will add enjoyment, turning zero into a positive.
Aging populations and the challenge of meaningful independence represent one of the most urgent design frontiers of our time, and the Cross Pod Self Standing Cane speaks directly to this reality by transforming a familiar daily object into something that actively supports a user's lifestyle rather than simply compensating for a limitation. How does the Cross Pod Self Standing Cane reflect your broader vision for what assistive products can and should offer to people who live with them every day, and in what ways does it push the category beyond the traditional boundaries of medical equipment?
CrossPod aims to improve not only physical but also mental well-being by pursuing the joy of use.Its lightweight design, crisp operation, and refined form uplift the spirits of those who carry it, encouraging more walking.Furthermore, enjoyable walking contributes to a longer healthy lifespan and promotes greater independence, doesn't it?
The spring and link mechanism at the heart of the Cross Pod Self Standing Cane is a genuinely elegant engineering achievement, managing to be lightweight, manually operable in two steps, and mechanically stable enough to support a standing person, all without adding bulk or complexity to the overall form. In what ways did the development of this mechanism deepen your understanding of the relationship between mechanical invention and human-centered design, and how did you know when you had found the right balance?
Mechanisms are a means of human-centered design.Technically, I think and experiment until I am satisfied.I repeatedly modify the mechanism to suit reality and refine it to be beneficial for people.I believe that if we think through it carefully while being mindful of balance, we will find the answer.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- CrossPOD is a one point cane stably standable anywhere. Just open its four legs attached to the tip of the cane to allow it stand anywhere in situations you need to have your hands free.
When walking, you can close your legs to use it as a one point cane, allowing you to walk smoothly.
It was small and lightweight, and it was designed so that switching of the legs can be done with simple operation.
The pure one-point cane that can be stand is an unprecedent. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Wide: 130mm
Depth: 50mm
Height: min750mm max 970mm /10 level adjustment
Weight: 360g
Material: aluminum,Wood,Resin - Tags
- Cane, Health, Care, Wellness, Rehabilitation, Independence, Standing, Walking, #Senior, SDGs, CrossPOD, Onepoint
- Production Technology
- A one point cane is a portable item, it must be lightweight.
Therefore, complex mechanisms cannot be added.
It also requires simple and easy operation.
Considering this balance, we designed it using a spring and link mechanism.
The result is:
* Simple manual operation/ two actions: twist and slide
* An easy-to-grip handle
* A slim form that doesn't get in the way when closed like a bud before it blooms
* A wide leg span when opened
Furthermore, while maintaining a minimalist overall appearance, we incorporated vivid accent colors to create a fun and enjoyable product. - Design Challenge
- The following are important for this product to be enjoyable.
*Comfort
*Stability
*Ease of Use
*Lightweight
*Form
*Cost
However, there are conflicting aspects, so we focused on balancing them when designing. - Research
- *Type of Research
Design Proposals for the Ageing Society Ahead.
*Research Objectives
Enriching the lives of those with walking difficulties.
*Methodology
Fun to use!
Make the 1 point cane easier to use.
*Data Collection
Interviews with practitioners, workshops, etc.
*Participants or Experiments
Conducted load testing and other safety verification experiments.
*Results
Perfectly fine.
*Insights and Impacts,
Positive feedback from purchasers.
Design awards and patent contest accolades.
Export track record to Canada, Germany, Thailand,etc.
It is also commonly used as a gift. - Inspiration
- A one point cane is the most common tool used to assist with walking.
However, when you want to let go of the cane, the tip is the point, so it is inconvenient because you cannot stand it up.
There are also canes with four rubber tips, but they make it difficult to walk smoothly, are unstable when standing up, and are a little heavy.
So we came up with the idea of solving this problem by adding opening and closing legs to the tip of the cane. - Project Duration
- The project started in April 2018 in Oita Japan and was released for sale in Jan 2020.
Following several internal refinements, it evolved into the current model in October 2023. - Operation Flow
- Closing the legs allows you to walk smoothly, and opening them when standing.
Opening the legs is a two step operation.
Slightly twist the grip to unlock, and slide the cane towards the tip to open and stand up.
Closing is the reverse operation. - Patents
- Patented in Japan.
Patent No.6590177
Patent Holder. KOJI SATO
Year. 2019
Jurisdiction. Japan Patent Office - Image Credits
- N/A
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