RO Won €20,000 for an Anxiety Wearable, Not Proof That Pressure Treats Anxiety

RO uses a body scan to position inflatable soft elements against an individual wearer, acknowledging that one fixed pattern cannot align with every body. Users would adjust intensity, turning a soft waistcoat into a controlled pressure interface. That attention to fit distinguishes Janne Kreimer's project from the vague promise of a ‘comfort garment.’ Anhalt University and mentor Andreas Murkudis are part of the published record.

The accompanying language goes further, saying deep pressure and acupressure activate the parasympathetic nervous system to relieve anxiety. A prize jury can admire how an object addresses panic without establishing treatment efficacy. The record supplies no clinical study, adverse-event analysis or medical-device status for RO. Its €20,000 award should fund the next evidence-gathering stage, not be rewritten as evidence itself.

• Winner: Janne Kreimer, Anhalt University
• Mentor and award: Andreas Murkudis, €20,000

Daniela Lindenberga's IXO combines a flashlight, camera, microphone, speaker and GPS in a wearable response to street harassment and hate-motivated violence. Its value is immediacy: a user need not unlock and aim a phone before illuminating a scene, recording an interaction or calling for attention. The project came from SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences with mentor Sebastian Herkner.

But cameras can escalate encounters, fail in darkness, expose bystanders and create sensitive location or audio data. Automatic storage on a phone does not guarantee admissible evidence or a police response; laws on recording differ. The €10,000 special mention recognises a strong problem definition. Safety reporting must still avoid saying that wearing IXO would prevent assault or secure accountability.

• Special mention: Daniela Lindenberga, SRH Berlin
• Tools: light, camera, microphone, speaker and GPS

Seven finalists presented at Berlin's James Simon Gallery on 29 April. Wallpaper independently records €20,000 for first place, €10,000 for the special mention and €5,000 for each remaining finalist. The money, workspace and mentorship are arguably more consequential than the ceremony because both recognised objects require iteration with people experiencing anxiety, disability or harassment—not just refinement for a jury.

Our verdict: RO was the more resolved industrial-design system, while IXO named the sharper political problem. Neither should be promoted through unqualified claims about bodies or crime. The prize was at its best when ‘mobility’ meant the confidence to leave home and occupy public space. Its future credibility depends on whether the concepts meet users, testing and regulation after the applause.

• Most resolved system: RO's adjustable, body-specific pressure layout
• Hardest unresolved question: whether either wearable improves real outcomes