Projects
Identifying medical uses for expressive robots
Contacts: Laurel Riek, Cambridge Computer Lab Mentors: Dr. Nicky Athanassopoulou, Institute for Manufacturing & Simon C. R. Lewis In the future robots may become as ubiquitous as mobile phones. Such robots are expected to serve as home health aids and companions, assist with housework, and provide entertainment and education to their users. However, before these uses can…
Commercialising a highly-sensitive inertial sensor
Contacts: Pradyumna Thiruvenkatanathan, Jize Yan and Dr. Ashwin Seshia, Cambridge Nanoscience Centre Mentor: Adrian Swinburne Quintaxiom The team of researchers at the Cambridge Nanoscience Centre have brought a new approach to the field of resonant sensing, using MEMS technology, which has allowed them to develop small inertial sensors which are expected to be 1000 times more sensitive than current…
Using European trends to inspire American fashion – a toolbox
Contacts: Elizabeth Sawyer, DevelopmentMuse, Centre for Creative Collaboration Mentor: Ben Schofield Elizabeth Sawyer is an American fashion designer who has lived and worked in London, Florence, Madrid, New York and Buenos Aires. Currently studying at Central St Martins of the University of the Arts London, she has wide experience in luxury design, marketing, and trend forecasting. With…
Generating energy from your footsteps – developing a go-to-market strategy
Contacts: Laurence Kemball-Cook, Pavegen, Centre for Creative Collaboration Mentor: Steve Compton, www.TristramConsultants.co.uk Based on a concept developed by Laurence Kemball-Cook at Loughborough University, pavegen has prototyped and produced paving slabs which can convert the energy from footsteps into electricity. The slabs are designed to be easy to install and repair, and are manufactured locally and sustainably, using recycled lorry…
Creating and distributing Tales of Urban Tribes
Contacts: Tarun Durga, Central St Martins, Centre for Creative Collaboration www.mappingtales.com Mentor: Mark Wing, www.interrelated.co.uk Tarun is a former creative director for a new media agency, who is now working on a Masters in Design Studies at Central St Martins, and is part of the MADS Collective at the Centre for Creative Collaboration. He has written screenplays and…
Finding real-world uses for efficient non-linear optical materials
Contacts: Dr. Jacqui Cole, Tze-Chia Lin & Andrew Higginbotham, Physics Non-linear optical materials have a wide range of uses, including high-speed optical switching and phase modulation. This makes them important as electro-optic modulators in fibre-optic telecommunications, optical computing, and in the development of lasers operating at different frequencies (for example, a red laser can be converted…
Barcode biosensors – developing a new generation of diagnostic devices
Contacts: Dr Al Edwards & Dr Nuno Reis, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Mentor: Marc Bax Immunoassays are the most powerful and widely-used biochemical detection method. They are currently used to measure a vast number of different biomolecules for applications ranging from the detection of pathogens, drugs and diseases to environmental contaminants and biowarfare agents. While most…
Using bistable metal sheets as hinges
Contacts: Dr. Keith Seffen, Engineering Mentor: Martin Sabry Dr Seffen and his team have spent many years investigating the manufacture and operation of bistable and multi-stable structures. They are now able to create a novel class of bistable structures which can be used as single-piece hinges and fine-tuned to meet the requirements of a particular real-world…
Manufacturing carbon nanotubes at low cost and at high volume
Contacts: Professor Derek Fray, Department of Materials Science Mentor: Marc Bax Carbon nanotubes have long attracted the attention of the media due to their unique physical and chemical properties. However, they are generally expensive and slow to manufacture, due to the low yield and complexity of current manufacturing methods. Although carbon nanotubes are used in increasing…