To connect with industry development, allowing students to understand industry needs during their studies, the Department of Industrial Design at Chaoyang University of Technology engages in industry-academia cooperation with businesses every year. This year, they are collaborating with WINBOSS Industrial Co., Ltd., located in Dali, which specializes in producing NBR foam, to launch the "Innovative NBR Rubber Foam Material Product Application Design Project." This project aims to help the industry develop more diverse products and applications.

The "Innovative NBR Rubber Foam Material Product Application Design Project" at Chaoyang University's Department of Industrial Design involves four teachers: Li Yen-long, Wu Jun-kuan, Shi Xuan-lan, and Jiang Ri-wei. They lead second and third-year students to design and develop product applications in three themes: "Water Activities," "Home Life," and "Children's Products." Currently, more than 50 design works have been created. By the end of the semester, these designs will be actualized to demonstrate their real applications. Teacher Shi Xuan-lan mentioned that the students lack experience when proposing creative designs. Therefore, under the guidance of each instructor, students draw design inspiration from life experiences, personal interests, or daily observations. As a result, the 50-plus works produced by the students this time are quite diverse and interesting.

Since NBR foam has properties such as softness, elasticity, and resilience, Chen Hui-ting, the deputy manager of WINBOSS Industrial Co., Ltd., and designer Chen Yu-ting from the R&D department stated that they were originally manufacturers of NBR rubber foam. However, in recent years, they have invested in R&D and launched products such as life jackets and motorcycle protective gear. Depending on the material properties of NBR foam, it can be categorized into fire-resistant series, buoyancy series, and shock absorption series, each with different uses. This industry-academia collaboration with the Department of Industrial Design at Chaoyang University not only gives back to the local community but also aims to discover more design ideas and directions for accessory usage for Wafer's NBR foam. Upon reviewing the students' design concepts, they found that at least 50-60% of the designs are highly valuable.

WINBOSS Industrial has grown and prospered in Dali, and now they are giving back to the community, encouraging students to unleash their creativity. They hope that in the future, students can utilize their design expertise and join Wafer Industrial, the largest NBR rubber foam manufacturer in Asia.

Lin Xuan, the head of the Department of Industrial Design at Chaoyang University, said that the university often accepts commissions from traditional industries for industry-academia cooperation projects. Through the creative energy of teachers and students, they help businesses find more diverse directions for industrial development and even assist in cross-industry alliances, while also nurturing learning functions. Since students' works are required to have not only design features but also practical functionality and usability, they are highly favored by the industry. The success rate of innovative concepts or product optimization and value-added projects from industry-academia cooperation is high, attracting many businesses to collaborate with the university every year. These excellent works from industry-academia cooperation are also exhibited during Design Week.