Two Shimadzu Products Win Red Dot Design Award 2026 – Precision Universal Testing Machine & Ultra High-Speed Video Camera

Two Shimadzu Products Win Red Dot Design Award 2026 – Precision Universal Testing Machine & Ultra High-Speed Video Camera

originally published in Shimadzu News & Notices, July 02, 2026

Shimadzu’s Autograph AGS-V series tabletop precision universal testing machines and HyperVision HPV-X3 ultra high-speed video cameras have won a Red Dot Design Award 2026 in the Product Design category, one of the world’s most prestigious design awards (organized by the Design Center of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). The awards ceremony is scheduled for July 7 in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and information panels describing both products will be displayed at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen for one year.

Shimadzu has long worked to enhance its brand value and strengthen trust by maintaining consistency in product design. Those efforts have not only resulted in receiving the Red Dot Design Award for the sixth consecutive year, but also many other awards, such as the Good Design Award (Japan), iF Design Award (Germany), and IDEA Award (U.S.A.). As part of our efforts to spark interest in science and technology beyond our products, we collaborated with the design studio we+ to create science art pieces, which were exhibited at Milan Design Week in Italy, the world’s largest design festival, in 2024 and 2026. 

Autograph AGS-V Series Tabletop Precision Universal Testing Machines (Released May 2025)
Precision universal testing machines are used for strength testing to measure the strength of materials and how they change when force is applied. This product series was developed to meet the growing demand for strength testing of parts and products made with new materials and structures for electric vehicles (EVs) and carbon-neutral applications. The series was recognized for its space-saving, sturdy design, which is small enough to fit on a tabletop, and for the LCD touch panel controller that displays the most suitable buttons and information for each situation, enabling intuitive operation.

Read more about the Autograph AGS-V Series at Red Dot.

HyperVision HPV-X3 High-Speed Video Camera (Released February 2025)
This product was released to mark the 20th anniversary of Shimadzu’s first high-speed video camera. Featuring both an ultra-high-speed recording rate of 20 million frames per second and high resolution, it can visualize high-speed phenomena in high detail, making it useful for cutting-edge research in materials science, space, healthcare, and industry. Red Dot recognized the HPV-X3 for innovations that reduce user stress and improve efficiency by reexamining the entire workflow, as well as for reducing environmental impact through an unpainted case design.

Read more about the HyperVision HPV-X3 at Red Dot.

Red Dot Design Award
The Red Dot Design Award is an international design award founded in 1955. Awareness of the award in Japan increased after a cooperation agreement was signed with the Japan Industrial Design Association (JIDA) in September 2025. Award categories include product design, brand communication design, and design concept, where this year two Shimadzu products received awards in the Product Design category for characteristics such as functionality, usability, and aesthetics.

For more information about the Red Dot Design Award 2026, click here.