Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal by Here Design Studio

Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal by Here Design Studio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Hierro in Diseño Social Competition Category.

HierroSocial· 2025

Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal

by Here Design Studio

Client: Georgia Aquarium

A' Design Award de Hierro Winner in Social Category

34,883

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #163059

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal

Pengu Buddy es un sistema de seguimiento de la salud animal diseñado para un hábitat de pingüinos. El sistema combina un robot submarino con una aplicación móvil. El robot funciona como un juguete para los pingüinos y fomenta su actividad mediante juegos que los visitantes controlan desde la aplicación. Durante el juego, el robot recopila datos visuales y acústicos y los envía a un panel de control que los cuidadores utilizan para el monitoreo de la salud. La aplicación también ofrece contenido educativo sobre los pingüinos y opciones para apoyar su conservación mediante donaciones y regalos.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Hierro

Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal ha ganado el A' Design Award de Hierro, un reconocimiento prestigioso concedido a buenos diseños que cumplen los requisitos profesionales e industriales que se esperan de creaciones bien diseñadas. Los ganadores de Hierro demuestran gran habilidad, alta especialización, comprensión experta y capacidad creativa de sus creadores. Se espera que Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal sea una creación muy apreciada, admirada y querida, práctica e innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Hierro integra las mejores prácticas del sector y tiene características técnicas competentes unidas a conocimiento práctico y talento. Pengu Buddy Sistema de Seguimiento de la Salud Animal es respetado por su minuciosidad y está concebido para aportar mejoras en la calidad de vida que ayudan a hacer del mundo un lugar mejor.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: PenguBuddy is an interactive health data tracking system combining technology and wildlife care. It features an underwater robot that acts as both a playful toy for penguins and a data collection tool for keepers. The companion mobile app lets visitors control the robot, enjoy immersive interactions, access educational content, and support conservation through donations and gifts. This innovative solution drives positive social impact in wildlife conservation and public engagement.
Dimensions & Packaging: The mobile app interface was designed with iOS guidelines. The underwater robot dimensions: Width 640 mm x Depth 120 mm x Height 500 mm
Tags: Animal Computer Interaction, Health Monitoring, Interactive Robot, Penguin Conservation, Education, Visitor Engagement, Mobile App
Production Technology: We used Figma and Adobe After Effects to design UI interfaces and also leveraged Rhino to create and render the underwater robot 3D model. Beyond that, we also tested some sensor hardware in the Georgia Institute of Technology ACI Lab.
Design Challenge: The central design challenge involved harmonizing penguin welfare with captivating visitor interaction, navigating obstacles such as robot durability, online data processing, and ethical animal engagement. Solutions prioritized two key areas: meticulous material testing and ethical design, ensuring robot safety and scientifically informed movement patterns for responsible monitoring. And user-centric interaction design, featuring an intuitive mobile application with gamification and educational content to transform visitors from passive observers to active participants in penguin welfare.
The first is the rigorous material testing and ethical design. The underwater robot materials were extensively tested for safety and durability. The movement patterns were carefully designed to mimic animals in the African penguin colony and were informed by research scientists to guarantee ethical monitoring practices.

On the other hand, we conducted user-centric interaction design. The mobile application prioritized intuitive controls, catering to a diverse user base. Gamification and educational content were integrated to foster active, empathetic engagement, transitioning visitors from passive observers to active participants in penguin welfare.
Research: This research involved multiple research approaches, including field study, 30 hours of observation, 8 interviews with keepers and visitors, and prototype testing with 12 participants. Observation helped us understand interactions between visitors, keepers, and penguins. Interviews revealed pain points and expectations. We explored existing health tracking technologies and developed core design concepts using environment enrichment, robot interaction, and AI data insights. User feedback from prototype testing guided our design improvements.
Inspiration: Zoo animals, including penguins, often experience mood and behavior changes due to environmental and habitual shifts, leading to depression, reduced appetite, and decreased activity. However, the existing technology lacks effective data tracking for individual penguins.

The design solution draws inspiration from penguins' natural play behaviors and environmental enrichment strategies. By leveraging interactive robotic technology, we created a system that tracks penguin activity data and fosters engaging interactions between penguins and humans.
Project Duration: The project started in January 2023 and completed concept phase on February 2024 in Atlanta.
Operation Flow: This project connects penguins, visitors, and keepers through an interactive system. Visitors control the robot via the app, creating playful interactions with penguins. The robot collects visual and acoustic data about penguins' activity and sends it to the keeper's dashboard for health monitoring. The app further enriches the visitor experience through educational content and conservation content, facilitating a meaningful connection between human interaction and scientific observation.
Patents: N/A
Team Members: UX Designer: Yuwei Li
UI Designer: Xinyue Ren, Yuchuan Yu
Industrial Designer: Han Huang, Youyang Hao
Image Credits: Melody Moore Jackson, Georgia Tech ACI Lab