Be !nventive
Double win joy for Coventry University at Lord Stafford awards
17th November 2009
Coventry University is picked up a brace of Lord Stafford awards in 2009. The awards showcase the links between universities and the private sector and highlight the best in partnership working and innovation.
Coventry University won two of the four categories: Entrepreneurial Spirit and Knowledge Transfer Champion:
- Entrepreneurial Spirit – Stretching By Design Ltd and Coventry University’s Health Design & Technology Institute (HDTI). HDTI worked with the company to develop the LARA – a device designed to ease spasticity and severe tightening of the thigh muscles; a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). It was invented by Dave Collins who was diagnosed with the condition 20 years ago.
- Knowledge Transfer Champion – Dr Brian More at Coventry University. Brian is the University’s Intellectual Property Business Development Manager and over the past five years has helped more than 350 firms to access the research and development capabilities at the University. He has also supported the spin-out of 12 companies from the University.
University Institute lands top national award
19th November 2009
Coventry University’s new flagship institute has won a national iaward for its collaborative work with a local company.
The Health Design & Technology Institute (HDTI) which is based at the University’s Technology Park has been working with Opal Contracts, a Birmingham-based manufacturer of blinds, curtain tracks and security systems.
The iawards, recognise and celebrate the best British achievements in science, technology and innovation. They are the first awards of their kind to be backed by the British government, working in partnership with leading entrepreneur James Caan.
Opal Contracts conceived the idea of a novel curtain fixing clip that enables the easy packing, storage, handling and suspension of disposable curtains within a healthcare environment. The product is specifically targeted at supporting the drive to minimise the risk of infection, particularly from superbugs in UK hospitals.
Coventry surgeon wins awards for wrist splint design
15th December 2009
An inventive Coventry surgeon who designed a revolutionary new wrist splint has won a prestigious award.
Richard King, who works at the city’s University Hospital, created the splint to apply constant pressure to make sure the bone is correctly aligned as it heals. Regional health chiefs were so impressed with his idea they handed him the “One to Watch” prize at this year’s MidTECH Awards – known within the industry as the Oscars of innovation. They also gave Mr King £1,000 to help develop his splint further.
He said: “It shows that if you have a good idea which can improve patient care, you will be supported in taking it further and it doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Mr King designed the new wrist splint with the help of senior occupational therapist Fiona Fidd. It has now been patented and the orthopaedic team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) are looking into producing it on a bigger scale.
Heat transfer researchers take next step
Researchers at the University of Warwick have filed a patent on technology they believe will improve the efficiency of heat transfer in domestic heating systems and vehicle air conditioning units. A new spin-out company called Sorption Energy has been set up by Warwick Ventures and H2O Venture Partners to develop the product, which comprises metal sheets with tiny water channels to transmit heat through heat exchangers. According to the team at Warwick the design has created equipment that is up to 20 times smaller than was previously possible, leading to positive implications across several large markets.
Warwickshire school nurse wins NHS innovation award
2nd December 2009
A Warwickshire nurse has scooped one of the top prizes at the ‘Oscars’ of NHS innovation. Sandy Clayton-Kent, of the NHS Warwickshire community health team, won the award for her board game to educate youngsters about the risks of body piercing. The senior school nurse attended a glitzy ceremony at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens last week.
She was presented with the MidTECH Award for Innovation in Primary Care award by BBC Radio WM presenter Ed Doolan and walked away with £4,000 to help her develop her board game further.
She said: “Young people who I work with in Warwickshire alerted me to the need for education about body piercing when they told me how some of them had picked up infections after piercings. So I worked with youngsters at Kineton High School to develop a board game, showing a man’s body with various piercings and rules, questions and props to help teenagers to make informed decisions if they are considering having a piercing.”
Flood-proof furniture is designer’s vision for the future
Peter Miller, 22, from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, has designed a piece of furniture that is not only practical to sit on but has a secondary function of protecting household items from flood water.
Peter, who is a former student at Princethorpe College, said “Every year we see on the news that in certain parts of the UK, flooding is a recurring problem. There are some households in the UK that are still trying to get their homes back in order since the last floods. With five million households at risk from flooding, the furniture in our homes should have some practical element and the furniture I have produced will be able to protect items which would have previously perished in the floods from water damage.”
Peter has designed a suite of traditional style furniture that includes a large, medium and small sofa. Each piece of furniture has a waterproof storage area for documents and small items, any larger items can be protected in a hidden fold out section. The aim of this design was to keep the furniture looking and feeling like any normal piece of furniture until the event of a flood where its secondary function will come into play.
New design concept will help children to keep fit
A physical play activity system which can take many forms has been devised by a design student at Coventry University in a bid to help fight the war against childhood obesity. Ajom Khan, from Coventry, is in his final year of an Industrial Design degree and his design concept, ‘LOCO-MOTO,’ is an outdoor construction system which can be transformed into several different ride-on activities.
Obesity is a global epidemic with 27 percent of children in the UK classed as overweight. Childhood obesity has trebled in the last decade and research shows that there is no one factor to the global problem. However, one important contributor has been the change in their environment and play activity behaviour.
Ajom, 22, said “Today’s children spend a lot of time inside playing video games, watching television or sitting in front of a computer. The era where children used to play outdoors and interact with the natural world seems no longer to exist and the backyard culture has diminished. LOCO-MOTO is an innovative modular construction system that provides endless playing, building and driving fun. LOCO- MOTO can be simply remoulded and transformed into a trike, scooter, rocking horse, go-kart, trolley and so much more, all without the need for tools".
Design student creates new aid to help with mobility
Taking the design of wheelchairs forward and reducing social barriers was the reason behind the final year transport design by Coventry University student, Tim Leeding. Tim has come up with a concept design for a mobility wheelchair. It is a self propelled manual standing wheelchair which, it is hoped, will reduce the occurrence of secondary illnesses.
Tim, 22, said “The wheelchair has not had a radical re-design for decades and it is very out-dated. I wanted to bring it into the 21st century by making it not only aesthetically pleasing but also by giving the person who has to use it more of an opportunity to socially interact with others.”
The design concept offers a wide range of personalisation options, allowing the user to express their tastes, and features innovative solutions to allow the user to elevate themselves in seconds as well as reducing the effort required to self propel.