The award-winning product, known as "Cross Well DG100", is a miniature laparoscopic surgical instrument used in surgical operations.

The Cross Well DG100, a miniature laparoscopic surgical instrument designed and developed by a team of faculty and students from Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), recently won the iF Design Award 2024 due to its outstanding innovative design.

This marks the first time that XJTU has received an iF Design Award for a medical device.

The team comprised associate professor Li Hongwei from the School of Mechanical Engineering, associate professor Zhu Zicai from the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, professor Li Xiaoling – the associate dean of the Joint School of Design and Innovation, and six students from the Joint School of Design and Innovation, namely Zhang Yifan, Ma Li, Zhu Zhixian, Zhong Jiaqian, Yin Yizhen and Shen Xiru.

The team integrated human factors engineering and user-centered design principles into the design process, emphasizing comfort while also innovating to meet clinical needs. The team proposed a trackball operation method that allows for 360 degree rotation and 90 degree bending of the instrument tip, enabling precise control of the forceps angle without the need for wrist rotation, even in narrow cavities. In addition, the product features a three-tube star-shaped handle that fits closely with the palm, thereby reducing wrist fatigue and improving safety, comfort, and stability during prolonged use.

Professors Li Hongwei and Zhu Zicai stated that winning the iF Design Award is a recognition of the team's efforts and will motivate the team to continually strive for excellence in future design work.

The iF Design Award was established in 1954 and is held annually by the Industrie Forum Design, the oldest industrial design organization in Germany. It is internationally-recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in contemporary industrial design and is often regarded as one of the world's top three design awards alongside the Red Dot Award and the IDEA Award.