Over 100 Bournemouth University (BU) students demonstrated their designs and prototypes at this year’s Festival of Design & Engineering exhibition that took place on Talbot Campus over two days on 21 and 22 June 2024.
The event was open to the public who could see a whole range of products on display including a wearable personal safety alarm, a portable device to help people with dysphagia prepare their food and an electric tractor.
Many of the students’ final year projects on display address real-world issues such as environmental sustainability, improving people’s lives and tackling marginalisation.
Product Design student Chloe Davey’s product, Hear Me Roar, is a wrist wearable designed to enhance women’s sense of security. Engineered for integration into daily life, ‘Hear Me Roar’ features a strobe light, high-pitched siren and a communication function for exchanging reassuring vibrations between users.
Her project aims to empower women in living their everyday lives and reduce feelings of isolation and vulnerability.
“During my placement year in London, I felt scared walking from the tube to my flat, I felt like my independence was stripped from me as I was forced to rely on someone else for my own safety,” explained Chloe. “After researching safety products, I saw the market was underdeveloped, inspiring me to design Hear Me Roar,” she said.
Sophie Dorrington has created “Nutrify”, a portable food preparation device aiming to improve the lives of adults with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), helping them prepare and heat their food wherever they are.
“Typically, preparing puréed food confines individuals with dysphagia to their homes,” explained Sophie. “After seeing loved ones struggle with the condition and recognising how central food is to social situations, I was motivated to find a solution."
Introduced in 1992, the festival is one of the longest running annual events in the Bournemouth University calendar.
Design Engineering student Archie Evans has designed E-Tractor - a fully electric agricultural machine that features modular battery packs and high-performance electric motors, which recharge using solar-power. His design aims to provide an affordable agricultural support rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, improving food security, quality of life and local economies. "Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Surrey, I've always had a passion for tinkering and coming up with ideas to make farming life easier,” said Archie.
“With 80 to 90 percent of rural sub-Saharan farmers still relying on manual labour to cultivate land, more needs to be done to promote agricultural and economic growth. The E-Tractor aims to provide off-grid farmers with affordable access to modern farming technology, which can be used to increase farm efficacy and profits,” he added.
Lewis Broughton’s project aims to support sustainable consumption by reducing the amount of waste going into landfill from the footwear industry.
“ModuRun” is a modular running shoe where each part can be replaced and recycled when they wear out, eliminating the need to buy a new pair and throw the old ones away.
“I've always been into shoes and after completing my placement year in footwear design it sparked a real interest in finding a way to innovate in an industry that hasn't changed the way footwear has been produced and used for years,” Lewis said.
Other innovative products on display included:
- A device for emergency first responders to accurately monitor a casualty’s respiratory rate.
- An AI powered device to detect fatigue in drivers.
- A product to reduce wind interference in hearing aids for cyclists.
- A brake light for cyclists to warn cars behind them they are slowing.
For more information about BU’s courses in Design and Engineering and BSc (Hons) Product Design and BA (Hons) Product Design please visit the BU website.
