The challenge 

Real-world issues are often approached in terms of design, engineering or behaviour – rarely all three.  

The solution 

Design engineering at Imperial involves a multidisciplinary group of technologists, designers and thinkers who build solutions, not just technology.  

The impact 

Innovative and culturally relevant technology solutions that empower people and the planet for better outcomes.  

 

Design engineers are problem-solvers who integrate engineering analysis, behavioural science and the creative practice of design. The Dyson School of Engineering at Imperial College London is home to research groups that solve real-world challenges, as well as Masters programmes that have led to many successful startups.  

The creation of innovative solutions to modern challenges is at the heart of design engineering at Imperial and the Interaction Foundry exemplifies this. A multidisciplinary research group in the Dyson School of Engineering, the Interaction Foundry tackles behavioural science challenges, using technology and behaviour as core ingredients to developing solutions. The group is led by Dr Weston Baxter, who said: “We are fundamentally about improving behavioural design – understanding how it is done, developing methods to support it, and doing real projects to demonstrate those methods.”  

Redesigning soap to improve health 

Working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Dar es Salaam, and residents of low-income communities in Tanzania, the Interaction Foundry recently piloted Tab Soap. The novel handwashing solution was developed in response to the challenge of encouraging regular handwashing in low- or middle-income countries (LMIC). Portable, biodegradable, low-cost and easy to manufacture, Tab Soap is a single-use tab of cloth that is impregnated with commercial-grade soap that foams when mixed with water. Following successful trails, it is now ready to be rolled out to other developing markets. 

Innovative water management solution 

Over the last few years, the Dyson School of Design Engineering has seen multiple successful startups come out of its Masters programmes. These include Deploy Tech, whose flagship product is the world’s first-ever foldable concrete water container. The 14,000-litre capacity 14R arrives flat-packed. Once assembled, hydration quickly hardens the material, making it ideal for disaster relief and emergency response situations. Deploy Tech was founded by Imperial Innovation Design Engineering alumni, Beren Kayali and Paul Mendieta. Beren recently received a Purple Plaque from Innovate UK for winning the Women in Innovation Award and her achievements in engineering.