Thales are one of our National Partners for our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

There are 5 Thales teams from various sites around the UK who will each be working on one of the 5 pupil engineering ideas selected to develop into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year which will be unveiled at the Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

Beginning the prototype

The Thales Templecombe ProtoTeam selected Erin’s Walkie Frame engineering idea to bring to life as Erin’s idea was to improve her grandmother’s comfort and the convenience of using walking aids. It was also to help save space in her grandmother’s apartment. The ProtoTeam felt this was a very kind-hearted and selfless innovation and were keen to be a part of its design.

Midpoint update

They have made previous physical concepts for this design however encountered a few roadblocks during its creation. They realised that due to the difference in handles of walking sticks and walking frames and the necessity for having the weight applied through the centre of each walking aid it was difficult to create walking sticks that could also function effectively within a walking frame. As such had to go back to the drawing board and create new concepts and adaptations which we will be presenting to the student to get their feedback. Our next steps for the team will be to bring together a finalised design approved by the student and bring it to life. They have planned a virtual meeting with the pupil designer and teacher to show them the current design concepts, two ideas for the walkie frame itself and the possibility of integrating another idea of into the walkie frame, the further idea being a universal walking frame clip on pouch (CAD design shown below). They hope this planned virtual meeting will allow them to really narrow down on a final design for our student.

What’s next?

This is the last update on this amazing prototype until it’s grand unveiling at the Award Ceremony event.

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You can recap on the full original update but if you recall Sam’s idea was Moving Solar Panels which automatically adjusts based on the position of the sun.

Midpoint update

Kevin Fitzsimons, a final-year BEng student at EEECS, selected Sam’s design to incorporate into his final-year dissertation project under the supervision of Dr Robert Best. Kevin was keen to investigate the feasibility of moving solar panels to solve the problem of placement on properties which do not have a south-facing side to mount panels on.

Now we are in the summer term, we have just received a Midpoint update from the ProtoTeam at Queen’s University Belfast!

Currently the simulation investigation has been conducted with data analysis underway to understand the effectiveness of the proposed system compared to existing fixed mounted domestic solar panel solutions for homeowners. The YouTube video above shows the simulation and proposed solution. This utilized simulation software kindly provided the National Renewable Energy Lab. Furthermore, the creation of these simulations took considerable time due to the specific niche programming language it uses. This work has been entirely conducted by an undergraduate student, which gave them a valuable learning opportunity but that also meant it was challenging for them having no previous experience of this software before. At the final judging, the important insights gained from the simulation investigation will be presented to show the full considerations and implications of the prototype.

What’s the next step?

The School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will unveil this prototype at the next Northern Ireland Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition on 25h June. Book your tickets here.

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Thales are one of our National Partners for our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

There are 5 Thales teams from various sites around the UK who will each be working on one of the 5 pupil engineering ideas selected to develop into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year which will be unveiled at the Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

Thales, Cheadle site selected Madiha’s idea because out of a huge pool of ideas, it stood out with its originality and functionality in solving an everyday problem. She mentioned in her notes that 97% of people don’t wash their hands properly, and the Cheadle team wanted to help her improve that statistic!

Beginning the prototype

Thales Cheadle project team is made up of Izzy (Project Planning & Controls Apprentice), Fiona (Engineering Graduate), Adam (Engineering Graduate), Olamide (Software Apprentice), Alicia (Software Apprentice) and Jack (Hardware Apprentice). They have a range of skillsets to approach the production of the prototype, and have a huge field of experienced engineers at Thales to consult.

Initially, they weren’t aware of the capabilities of UV light in detecting germs but discovered that they are limited unless the UV has a specific wavelength to excite a specific germ on the hands.

This posed a challenge in how we would adapt the idea to fulfil the UV element in Madiha’s design. The team explored a few different concepts, until they settled on creating a prototype that uses image recognition software to track the hand-washing process, capturing movements and letting the user know when they are done. Many people simply don’t know how to wash their hands properly, so they wanted to come up with a solution that would allow them to follow the correct process as they wash.

The UV light comes in as the next layer of defence, because paired with a gel-like substance that the user applies before washing their hands, it shows up the areas that haven’t been washed properly, as seen in the below images.

This is the current design iteration, with software development for the image recognition and sink display underway, moving onto procuring the hardware soon.

We can’t wait for the next update on this design!

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Edge Hill are one of our Partners for Liverpool, Merseyside and Cheshire as part of our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

Edge Hill have selected this design to turn into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year which will be unveiled at the next Liverpool, Merseyside and Cheshire Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

They chose this design because it could really help children with autism.

Beginning the prototype

The teddy bear prototype design was selected by a group of three students as it provided the opportunity to combine practical electronics development with an application that could be used for engaging with children with autism. Two of the students are studying degree programmes at Edge Hill University in Electrical Engineering and Industrial Automation and Robotics, respectively. The third member of the team was on international placement from Mexico, studying a degree in Biomedical Engineering at Monterrey, Mexico. The project thus provided the opportunity to do some multidisciplinary project work that was relevant to their respective degree programmes.

The initial work was performed over 12-weeks in Semester 1 as part of the Level 5 Professional Practice in Engineering module, which resulted in the design, implementation and testing of basic level functionality. The developed prototype is planned to be enhanced and refined over Semester 2 and the summer months.

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GKN Aerospace are one of our Partners for South West England as part of our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

GKN Aerospace have selected this design to turn into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year which will be unveiled at the next South West England Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

They chose this design because it addresses an important problem – accessibility of water in remote locations.

Beginning the prototype

The GKN Aerospace ProtoTeam is made up of five engineers with a variety of expertise from different projects:

• Dr Ian Gent has a background in chemistry and is working on composites research
• Tom Ramsbottom is developing new composite manufacturing technologies
• Matthew Hunt also works with composites as well as sustainability analysis
• Remo Prior-Calver is involved in sustainability research
• Sam Hargrave is working on machining process development and modelling

With the variety of skill sets in the team such as CAD, part analysis, material science, automation, additive manufacturing, machining, electronics and sustainability analysis, they sat down and used their different perspectives to review the submissions based on several factors:

• Motivation for the prototype (what problem does it solve, who does it benefit, ethical considerations)
• Design complexity (number of parts, size, accuracy & precision requirements)
• Materials required
• Programming complexity
• Budget
• School location

After 3 rounds of down-selection including key stakeholders (such as those responsible for our budget), the team landed on the Clean Water Access Bot (C.W.A.B – a strong acronym is very important!), which performed well in all of the above categories. The prototype addresses an important problem – accessibility of water in remote locations. The team intends to use Ben’s design to create a semi-automated water retrieval system that can pump and store water on-board and transport it to those who need it.

To kick things off the team started with a benchmarking exercise, looking for similar concepts or products that could be used as inspiration. Additionally, Tom, Matt and Sam visited the University of West England (UWE) to have a look at a previous prototype and ask some questions about the process.

The key challenges that stand out for them were:

• The size of the prototype – water capacity would be limited by vehicle size
• Programming the movement of the vehicle
• How the C.W.A.B will load the water into the storage container depending on where it’s in use (a lake would work differently to a well!)
• Water filtration – the water being retrieved in remote locations is unlikely to be clean
• Design for repair – the more complex the design, the harder it is to repair, especially if it is operating in remote/challenging environments

However, the team is excited to now move into the design phase, starting by drawing up some concepts that address these challenges. They plan to focus on their expertise in design and manufacturing to create the water retrieval and storage system, and then potentially retrofit it onto a readily available remote control vehicle. Once the basic functionality is complete, they may consider some extra features such as water filtration.

They have also had a call with Ben and his teacher Megan to talk about the project, listen to his ideas and motivation behind the design, and share some insight on their design concepts. The team look forwards to visiting the school in the near future to update Ben and his class on our progress!

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Anglia Ruskin University are one of our University Prototyping Partners for East England as part of our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

Anglia Ruskin University have selected his design to turn into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year which will be unveiled at the next East England Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

They chose this design because this idea we all use kettles on a daily basis whether that’s a hot drink, boiling water for cooking or a hot water bottle. The team at Anglia Ruskin University had spoken to lots of people who said very similar things about overfilling kettles and the waste of electricity.

Beginning the prototype

A group of students and the technical staff at Anglia Ruskin University have developed this prototype to show that this is definitely a viable and usable invention.

The circuit design and programming were undertaken by one of their technical staff. The physical appearance along with original CAD modelling was inspired by the initial design produced as part of the competition and then was developed by a final year undergraduate student.

The 3D model was then resized to fit by another of their Mechanical Engineering students and another member of the technical staff then printed the final kettle base on one of their higher end 3D printers.

The prototype can be updated to acknowledge the ongoing increases in energy cost to make sure that it is always up-to-date and attentive to our kettle overfilling habits.

We can’t wait for the next update on this prototype!

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Rox, our Engineer Relationship Manager, checked in with the Ulster Prototeam to see how they were getting on and find out any updates!

During the last update, we were told that at this point in the prototype project all of the CAD drawings would be done and ready for printing and we are thrilled to hear this has indeed been done!

The next step, will be to set up a meeting with their technician to discuss the design element and the process of printing using the universities 3D printers. Once they have done this, they we will go ahead and start testing the prototype.

The above images show the leg frames and the kettle cup holder which once printed, we will be assembled together.

It’s all coming together quite nicely and we can’t wait for the next update on this prototype!

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University of Exeter are one of our University Prototyping Partners for Devon and Cornwall as part of our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

Introduction

University of Exeter will turn Year 4 pupil Gracie’s Worry Watch into a reality with their prototype.

University of Exeter have selected this design to turn into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year and it will be unveiled at the Devon and Cornwall Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

They chose this design because mental health conditions affects 1 in 8 of the population and it’s so important to have products or methods in place to help.

Beginning the Prototype

The prototeam have adapted the original design to become a wearable item/teddy bear that can track and utilise common coping mechanisms for those with anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions.

In the image above, we can see just a snippet of the extensive research and planning that has gone into this prototype. They have even created a Low-Fi teddy prototype!

We can’t wait for the next update on this prototype!

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University of Exeter are one of our University Prototyping Partners for Devon and Cornwall as part of our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

Introduction

University of Exeter will turn Year 2 pupil Elouise’s Calm Protector into a reality with their prototype.

University of Exeter have selected this design to turn into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year and it will be unveiled at the Devon and Cornwall Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

They chose this design because they recognise that there is an increase number of children and adults suffering from hearing sensitives which can lead to learning problems and self-esteem problems and there’s not enough care/products available to help people.

Beginning the Prototype

The team have researched several market options including in ear, over ear, on ear and ear muffs to
limit auditory sensory overload. They have already created a very very low-fidelity prototype.

Their final solution will be 3D printed and mocked up on CAD soon. There are several
sketches provided to highlight the development.

But ultimately want a fully adjustable earplug that is discrete, capable of blocking unwanted
background noise; anywhere from 10% – 95% of unwanted auditory noise eliminated. Utilising a novel
conical shape design, that will rotate and allow for a staggered audio holes to be completely blocked,
partially open or entirely open.

We can’t wait for the next update on this prototype!

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University of Exeter are one of our University Prototyping Partners for Devon and Cornwall as part of our annual engineering competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ and encourages pupils come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.

Introduction

University of Exeter will turn Year 6 pupil Jak’s Anti-Spillable Mug into a reality with their prototype.

University of Exeter have selected this design to turn into a prototype over the 2023/2024 academic year and it will be unveiled at the Devon and Cornwall Awards Ceremony and Public Exhibition during the Summer term.

They chose this design because they identified it’s potential to tackle a multitude of markets and help those with fine motor skill difficulties, sensory needs or lack of engagement at food time.

Beginning the Prototype

The prototeam have done lots of in-depth planning and research with this prototype idea as well as identify real-world problems and come up with creative solutions. Some of their ideas include:

• Gamification to help children eat a balanced diet
• Anti-spill featured plates and cups for those who have fine motor skill difficulties, sensory needs or
  lack of engagement at food time.
• Encouraging those with eating disorders with rewarding behaviour while tracking data to inform
  health professionals.

The prototeam plan on focusing on this product, while also developing multiple other product lines to
become a ‘company’ focussed on providing interactive tableware to aid those who need it.

We can’t wait for the next update on this prototype!

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