Blooming flower-inspired Hanabii pacifier wins 2024 Kyoto Global Design Award

A self-ejecting pacifier aimed at reducing reliance and improving hygiene, the Hanabii pacifier designed by SUTD Architecture and Sustainable Design (ASD) PhD student Chiu Po Heng (Matt), has won the 2024 Kyoto Global Design Award.

Marrying aesthetics and function, Hanabii is shaped like a flower (Hana = “flower” in Japanese) and expands open like a firework (Hanabi = “firework” in Japanese) when used by a child. Its unique, patented mechanism leverages the flexible properties of the silicone “floral petals”, allowing the pacifier to recover passively to its original shape and propel out of the child’s mouth when active sucking motion stops. The shape also minimises contamination when dropped.

Matt, who is also an ASD (bachelor) alumnus from the class of 2018, started this project because of a personal need – his daughter’s pacifier hygiene issues. The Hanabii has also received the European Product Design Award 2023 and the IDA Design Award 2023.