The Tools category this year recognizes a Student winner: MX Surgical – Tactile XR Surgical Training by Niklas Andreasen at the Umeå Institute of Design. MX Surgical is a mobile, scalable XR training system that combines multimodal surgical tool replicas, modular pads, and mixed-reality overlays to enable realistic, repeatable surgical practice across different settings—directly addressing the shortage of hands-on training opportunities for surgical residents. Unlike existing XR training tools that rely on generic controllers and neglect the physical reality of open surgery, MX Surgical is designed to build the motor skills and muscle memory essential for operating room readiness.
The jury for Tools was led by Scot Herbst, Creative Director and Partner at Herbst Produkt. Joining them were Elisabeth Kooi, Senior Designer at Herbst Produkt; Walter Herbst, President of Herbst Produkt; and Will Hunter, Design Director at Woof.
The 2026 Tools category celebrates consumer products designed to make individual work more efficient and productive, from hardware tools and productivity applications to educational tools and anything else that extends what a person can do on their own.
2026 Core77 Design Awards All Honorees:
Apps & Platforms | Built Environment | Branding & Identity | Commercial & Industrial Equipment | Consumer Technology | Design for Social Impact | Emerging Technologies | Furniture & Lighting | Home & Living | Interaction | Lifestyle Accessories | Medical & Healthcare | Packaging | Speculative Design | Sports & Outdoor | Sustainability | Tools | Toys & Play | Transportation & Mobility | Visual Communication