Innovative projects from the University’s Engineering students have been unveiled at their first Design Show at the Boldrewood Innovation Campus.
Ranging from autonomous robots to small scale locomotives and lifesized structures within the city, they illustrate the breadth of talent among hundreds of undergraduates studying the discipline.
The Dean of Engineering and the Environment, Professor William Powrie, who opened the show said:
“At Southampton, we apply sound science to the solving of practical problems. Our students learn the principles of engineering during their studies and demonstrate their understanding through designing, building and testing exciting products that will make a difference to people’s lives.”
Judges from major companies who all employ Southampton engineering graduates (Lloyds Register, Rolls-Royce, Arup, BAE Systems, Shell and Siemens) heard and considered five top quality undergraduate presentations and gave the first annual Design Excellence Award to a group of final year Masters of Engineering (MEng) students* for their Group Design Project.
They designed, built and flew a fixed wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), in a challenge devised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Among their innovations, team members came up with a new suspension system using memory foam and used 3D printing to integrate all the essential avionics within the tail.
Student James Thomas said:
“We looked carefully at the IMechE specifications and came up with new ways to maximise performance within the rules, looking beyond the obvious engineering solutions to design an aircraft for the future.”
*Michael Ladhams, Richard Whitehouse, Guy Morgan, Andrew Theobald and James Thomas
Read the full press release here.