Press Release
Cross Pod Self Standing Cane by Koji Sato Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Fashion and Travel Accessories Design
Koji Sato recognized for fashion and travel accessories design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 15, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Cross Pod Self Standing Cane by Koji Sato has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Fashion and Travel Accessories Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Cross Pod Self Standing Cane
This product brings convenience to the 1 point cane. During walking, the leg section at the tip of the cane closes, enabling nimble handling comparable to a standard 1 point cane. When stationary, open the leg to instantly stand stable. The folding legs, designed to avoid obstructing walking, provide stable support only when needed. Convenience and sophisticated design bring the fun. This design feels like a product that goes being a mere walking aid to support the user's lifestyle.
About Koji Sato
He views product design as a form of communication between people. His philosophy is that people express who they are through the objects they use. He aims to help foster connections between people by fostering a sense of empathy toward objects. Furthermore, his products are designed not only to be practical tools but also to bring joy to those who own them. The products he creates are characterized by simple functionality and elegant aesthetics. This may be due to the fact that the same person is responsible for both the form and the mechanical design.
Award Record
With this recognition, Koji Sato is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Fashion and Travel Accessories Design Award
The A' Accessory Design Award is an international fashion design competition recognizing good accessory designs by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to accessory designers, fashion designers, travel accessory designers and luxury goods manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include handbags, scarves, belts, luggage, hats and travel bags. Awarded accessory designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/accessory
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/178817
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/178817
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!178817
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/376895
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/4iO0rdC
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Cross Pod Self Standing Cane
- Function
- Self Standing Cane
- Category
- Fashion and Travel Accessories Design
- Discipline
- Fashion Design
- Industry
- Fashion and Luxury
- Colors
- Snow, Silver, Dark Slate Gray, Gainsboro and Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Koji Sato
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #178817
Credits
- Image Credits
- N/A
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- CrossPOD is a one point cane stably standable anywhere. Just open its four legs attached to the tip of the cane to allow it stand anywhere in situations you need to have your hands free. When walking, you can close your legs to use it as a one point cane, allowing you to walk smoothly. It was small and lightweight, and it was designed so that switching of the legs can be done with simple operation. The pure one-point cane that can be stand is an unprecedent.
- Inspiration
- A one point cane is the most common tool used to assist with walking. However, when you want to let go of the cane, the tip is the point, so it is inconvenient because you cannot stand it up. There are also canes with four rubber tips, but they make it difficult to walk smoothly, are unstable when standing up, and are a little heavy. So we came up with the idea of solving this problem by adding opening and closing legs to the tip of the cane.
- Research
- *Type of Research Design Proposals for the Ageing Society Ahead. *Research Objectives Enriching the lives of those with walking difficulties. *Methodology Fun to use! Make the 1 point cane easier to use. *Data Collection Interviews with practitioners, workshops, etc. *Participants or Experiments Conducted load testing and other safety verification experiments. *Results Perfectly fine. *Insights and Impacts, Positive feedback from purchasers. Design awards and patent contest accolades. Export track record to Canada, Germany, Thailand,etc. It is also commonly used as a gift.
- Challenge
- The following are important for this product to be enjoyable. *Comfort *Stability *Ease of Use *Lightweight *Form *Cost However, there are conflicting aspects, so we focused on balancing them when designing.
- Realization and Technology
- A one point cane is a portable item, it must be lightweight. Therefore, complex mechanisms cannot be added. It also requires simple and easy operation. Considering this balance, we designed it using a spring and link mechanism. The result is: * Simple manual operation/ two actions: twist and slide * An easy-to-grip handle * A slim form that doesn't get in the way when closed like a bud before it blooms * A wide leg span when opened Furthermore, while maintaining a minimalist overall appearance, we incorporated vivid accent colors to create a fun and enjoyable product.
- Operation and Interaction
- Closing the legs allows you to walk smoothly, and opening them when standing. Opening the legs is a two step operation. Slightly twist the grip to unlock, and slide the cane towards the tip to open and stand up. Closing is the reverse operation.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in April 2018 in Oita Japan and was released for sale in Jan 2020. Following several internal refinements, it evolved into the current model in October 2023.
- Specifications
- Wide: 130mm Depth: 50mm Height: min750mm max 970mm /10 level adjustment Weight: 360g Material: aluminum,Wood,Resin
- Keywords
- Cane, Health, Care, Wellness, Rehabilitation, Independence, Standing, Walking, #Senior, SDGs, CrossPOD, Onepoint
