Reto Togni : design scientist

Reto Togni is strongly interested in how people use things and explores how technology can interlock familiarity and novelty.

Reto Togni was trained at the Zurich University of Arts, Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. He is currently pursuing a PhD at ETH Zurich.

For the Design Switzerland exhibition, Reto Togni will present two of his projects that demonstrates his ability to develop design solutions to human challenges: the wheelchair «Reagiro» and «Instant Windows Project».

«Reagiro» is a mechanical wheelchair prototype that allows users to turn by using their upper body strength, thanks to a pivoting backrest that directs small caster wheels. Steering then becomes easier, relieves the use of hands, and requires less effort for the user.

«Instant Windows» is a project at the intersection of humanitarian aid and design, Reto Togni co-founded with Wendelin Federer. After realizing how a broken window can affect the lives of people living in crisis areas, they imagined a cheap and universal insulation off the roll. Instant Windows uses a patent pending, translucent double-layer plastic sheet, providing both daylight and insulation against the elements, and offering an alternative for conflict zones inhabitants to repair efficiently their win-dows and improve their basic living conditions under dreadful circumstances. . «Instant Windows» is easy to fold, store, ship and self-explanatory to install and adapt to any window size by simply cutting it with a pair of scissors. The driving force in the development process was iterative testing in both real-life as well as lab-like environments to ensure the product’s technical validity and its suitability for the given context.