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DESIRE Awards

For modules where there is a design engineering output in the form of significant coursework, a module leader or delegated representative selects one item of output for the Design Engineering Selected Innovation REcognition (DESIRE). This is a prestigious award within the School and something that we imagine all students shall aspire to win during the programme of study. DESIRE selected works need not necessarily be associated with the top mark or grade scoring project and may be awarded to a group of students or individual work. We expect DESIRE to become a badge of honour for Design Engineers. Our congratulations to all the winners!

Year 1 Human Centred Design Engineering

BRIEF STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, DR CÉLINE MOUGENOT

The 'Human-Centred Design Engineering (HCDE)' module tackles urgent societal challenges by focusing on understanding and addressing people's needs. Emphasising empathy and rigorous user research in real-world contexts, students develop key skills in problem identification and solution development. By centring design on human experiences, HCDE ensures innovations are not only functional but also meaningfully enhance lives.

This year, 25 teams of four explored the theme of "Food for Health," aligning their projects with UN Sustainable Development Goals such as ‘Zero Hunger,’ ‘Good Health and Well-being,’ and ‘Reduced Inequalities.’

The winning teams, Libra and Forg, demonstrated excellence in applying human-centred design principles to address food insecurity and childhood obesity. Both teams actively engaged with real-world users—Libra with food bank volunteers and Forg with children and their families—employing field observations, interviews, co-design sessions, and solution testing. Their strong commitment to user engagement, effective project management, and teamwork led to practical, impactful solutions that have the potential to make a significant difference in their communities.

WINNING GROUP 1

Team members: Harrisen Crowder, Owen Lee Scott, Louis McEvoy, Ilayda Ozmerter

PROJECT TITLE:

Libra - "Smart Scale for Food Banks"

Libra is a smart scale designed to transform food bank operations by automating the management of food donations to tackle food insecurity.

In 2023, 17% of UK households faced moderate to severe food insecurity (source: Food Foundation), highlighting the crucial role of the country's 2,900 food banks and their 40,000 volunteers. Through extensive user research at Otley Community Larder in West Yorkshire, the team identified weighing and cataloguing as major challenges due to their time-consuming nature and resource limitations. To address these issues, the team developed an automated scale which weighs items, uses machine learning for food identification, and catalogues the recorded information for further analysis. Testing at Otley Community Larder showed a 60% reduction in weighing time and a threefold increase in data collection efficiency. Implementing Libra nationwide could significantly enhance food bank operations to better support communities in need.

WINNING GROUP 2

Team members: Selin Ibrahim, Safiyya Ahmed, Amelia Gustave, Sara Galal

PROJECT TITLE:

Forg - "prep, play, eat healthy"

A playful food preparation kit and container designed to engage children in preparation of nutritious meals.

In 2023, less than 20% of children in the UK met the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables, and one in five 10-year-olds was obese (source: NHS), highlighting the need for early intervention. Forg offers a solution that provides children with the independence to prepare their own healthy snacks, whilst giving parents the confidence that they can do so, safely. A playful app, developed in collaboration with families and nutritionists, guides children through simple, step-by-step recipes that adapt to match their growing culinary skills. The app rewards children for their efforts, encouraging continuous engagement. Forg includes a foldable chopping board and child-friendly utensils, thoughtfully designed for ease of use and to foster a child’s sense of autonomy in the kitchen. Once snacks are prepared, they can be packed into the iconic Forg snackbox, perfect for taking to school and sharing proudly with friends. By enabling children to interact with nutritious foods in a fun and enjoyable way, Forg aims to help lay the foundations for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Year 2 Industrial Design Engineering

Year 4 Design Engineering Master's Project

BRIEF STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, DR FREDDIE PAGE AND DR LORENZO PICINALI

The Master’s Project aims to provide students with the opportunity to work on a major piece of research in Design Engineering, using the knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt throughout the MEng in Design Engineering programme of study. Students are expected to implement a project at the edge of Design Engineering know-how, using new technology or exploiting scientific knowledge. From this year's cohort, four students' work as below have been selected for their outstanding achievements, rigorous process, and excellent outcomes.

WINNING STUDENTS

Student: Eva Brazier

Co-design aims to empower users in the design process, but power dynamics can undermine this goal. Using the Psychological Empowerment framework, Eva developed a codesign facilitation toolkit to evaluate the impact of a user-first participation approach on five dimensions of empowerment: Meaning, Competence, Self-Determination, Impact, and Power With. Workshops and interviews revealed that user-first engagement and spatial mapping generally enhance empowerment, though presenting ideas to designers can be disempowering. Recommendations include incorporating user brainstorming and spatial mapping in co-design sessions to promote empowerment.

Eva's Master’s Project is impressive due to her exceptional dedication and professionalism. She effectively linked theory to practice, creating a co-design facilitation toolkit valued by industry, including Deloitte. Eva conducted a rigourous literature review, shaped an original research objective, and managed extensive research, design, and evaluation. She engaged with stakeholders and experts to design a robust study protocol based on qualitative data collection and analysis. Eva is currently preparing her work for journal submission, showcasing her commitment to excellence beyond the Master's Project timeline.

Student: Chinene Chukwuma

Chinene’s Master’s project, centred around designing a digital platform to enhance firefighter’s situational awareness using IoT data and digital twins. Although firefighters were her primary stakeholders, Chinene actively sought and valued insights of Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) professionals across all levels of training, seniority, and backgrounds. Her proactive engagement through interviews and workshops allowed her to capture a wide array of needs and ideas, significantly enriching the project’s impact and relevance beyond typical academic efforts. She went above and beyond expectations in her user centred design approach to arrive at a solution, which the FRS are keen to develop further.

Student: Joe Johnson

Last year, Joe became aware of the fact that the Dyson School of Design Engineering has a leading role in AutoFair (2022-25). This is an EU flagship project tasked with understanding unfairness in artificial intelligence (AI), and developing new algorithms for AI fairness (AIF). Joe has rare skills as a software engineer, but is also concerned with the human and societal impacts of technology. We therefore tasked him with the development of Python code for remediating three different manifestations of unfairness in training data, each based on recent novel algorithms developed in the Dyson in collaboration with our European colleagues. We needed the implementations to become part of the standard open-source AIF360 library, ensuring that practitioners could readily access and use them. Not only did Joe fully succeed in these aims, but he provided new evidence for the performance of the algorithms by testing them on key benchmark data sets. This progress is undoubtedly going to matter to the delivery of the Dyson mission within AutoFair, and to the AIF agenda more generally. What was particularly impressive about Joe’s achievement was how he managed to learn enough about the (very challenging) theory and principles underlying the algorithms, without getting swamped in detail. He had a clear sense – born of his education as a design engineer – of how best to deploy his particular skills in software in the effective delivery of impact.

Student: Ivan Revenga Riesco

This was a project of the highest calibre that leveraged new techniques in multi-axis multi-material additive manufacturing in the design, simulation, manufacture, characterisation, analysis and practical demonstration of first-of-their-kind complex conformal antennas. The project was very high risk insofar as Ivan was first required to refactor and tune a bespoke 5-axis multi-material printer before being able to progress with the fabrication and characterisation of the antenna structures of interest. Ivan managed to convincingly demonstrate that the conformal antennas at S-band and UWB outperformed their planar counterparts, and demonstrated them working well with off-the-shelf radio hardware. Beyond improved antenna performance, the approach taken also significantly enhances manufacturing and material efficiency. Outstanding!

Year 1 Human Centred Design Engineering

Year 2 Industrial Design Engineering

Year 3 Design Engineering Futures

Year 4 Enterprise Roll-Out

Year 4 Design Engineering Master’s Project

BRIEF STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, DR FREDDIE PAGE AND DR LORENZO PICINALI

WINNING STUDENTS

Student: Thomas Godden

Project Title: The Full Software Stack for the Sim-To-Real Transfer of a Learned Bipedal Walking Policy

Synopsis:
Thomas Godden

This project develops the the sim-to-real transfer of a reinforcement learning bipedal walking controller. A joint controller and state estimator are written to facilitate real-time control of the physical hardware. A simulated robot model, parameter estimator, and reward function are made to enable an RL algorithm to learn how to generate and stabilise a walking gait. The policy trained in simulation is then transferred onto the real hardware. The results show that the learned controller has generalized enough to be able to stabilize the physical system despite modelling discrepancies and sensor noise.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER
This project involved development of full software stack for sim-to-real transfer of a bipedal walking policy. The project outcome was demonstration of partial functionality in hardware indicating that the learned policy had begun to generalise. This is a very impressive outcome in the time concerned and given the resources. Thomas really has developed an advanced understanding of the technology and re-enforcement learning control algorithm for the gait. Of particular note Thomas presented a whole system vision with sensor fusion, motion planner, high level motor control, low level motor control and actuation. Exceptional work. – Prof. Peter Childs

Student: Eve Williamson

Project Title: Navigating Barriers and Enablers: Towards Plastic Waste Reduction in Humanitarian Procurement

Synopsis:
Eve Williamson

While delivering critical relief items, the humanitarian sector contributes to a significant plastic waste pollution problem for beneficiaries receiving aid. The transition towards sustainable procurement and plastic waste reduction is thus paramount to reducing negative environmental impacts and strains on local systems. However, the intricacies of humanitarian procurement, coupled with the urgency of response, complicates the integration of such practices. The overarching aim of this study is to foster a practical approach to plastic waste reduction in humanitarian procurement, bearing in mind the exigencies of the sector and its unique operating environment.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER
An outstanding project with a seamless project management that has led Eve to push herself beyond the brief of a master project into a real-world immediate impact.She has showcased an incredible capacity to learn, study and analyse a very complex world that is the humanitarian aid sector and climate change. She has gathered a very large amount of data through thorough interview processes with key stakeholders. She has managed to reach very highly placed experts of the humanitarian aid and managed to share her project that led to a high interest from those experts to offer to push the project to the next stage with an actual implementation in the industry. The project has moved beyond a master project but to a real impact for a sector in desperate need of innovation and change. Eve’s passion and hard work has been a constant during this project and the result will have a real-world impact beyond this academic timeline. – Audrey Gaulard

Student: Fern Pitiporn Panpoonsup

Project Title: Designing A Kiosk User Interface For People Experiencing Homelessness

Synopsis:
Fern Pitiporn Panpoonsup

This study presents a user interface (UI) design for a homelessness kiosk in London, focusing on providing service information. Using a User-Centred Design (UCD) approach, the study addresses the limited research on challenges faced by homeless individuals in accessing services. Semi-structured interviews with nine participants from homelessness charities and field research were conducted. Thematic analysis revealed four key themes: inclusivity, content availability, user experience, and privacy/security. Based on these findings, UI design criteria were established, aiming to enhance user experience, trust, and autonomy.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER
Fern has been an exemplary DesEng student throughout the entire project. She has been strongly driven by this topic and worked autonomously to reach her goals. She has approached this project systematically and has gone beyond expectations in terms of user engagement considering the vulnerability of her project population (homeless individuals). In addition, she has involved several different stakeholders as part of the user research in an independent and driven way. – Dr. Nejra van Zalk

Student: Sibylle Rérolle

Project Title: CropSense: An AI-Based Precision Agriculture Tool for Coconut Farm Monitoring using Remote and Ground Sensing Methods
Synopsis:
Sibylle Rérolle

Precision agriculture has gained significant importance in addressing the challenges of deforestation and excessive chemical usage in the face of increasing food demand. This study focuses on coconut cultivation, which plays a crucial role in the economies of many countries and is particularly vulnerable to climate change and the destructive Red Palm Weevil (RPW). Current detection methods are impractical at large scale. This study explores the use of multispectral images to monitor coconut tree health and detect RPW infestation, by identifying spectral signatures.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER

This project has real opportunity of creating a positive impact within palm tree agriculture. Project has been explored both from a human and a tech perspective. A clear and compelling case a laid out for the need and potential impact of innovation in this space, that aligns excellently with the intervention presented. Supported by an Impact Acceleration grant, Sibylle got the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka to meet the growers to obtain feedback on infestation detection and tree health monitoring plan.

Year 1 DESE40004 Human Centred Design Engineering

BRIEF STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, DR CELINE MOUGENOT
The Human Centred Design Engineering module focuses on designing experiences that resonate with their end users and fit into a wider socio-cultural, technological and business context. This year, 31 teams imagined, prototyped and tested design concepts around the topic of personal safety in urban contexts. The three winning teams – Squid, Aerial and Talos - were selected for their excellent implementation of a human-centred design approach.

WINNING GROUP 1

Team members: Paul Eichmann, Freya Wennergren Ridgwell and Qiongyu Zhang

PROJECT TITLE: SQuid – a device that makes online banking more inclusive by increasing the tangibility of digital money
SQuid was created by users for users, providing support in raising awareness for financial security, improving tangibility of digital money, quick access tracking, promoting a more intuitive online banking user interface and making banking inclusive and accessible to all.

WINNING GROUP 2

Team members: Liam Jones, Katherine Luo and Isaac Siy

PROJECT TITLE: Aerial: A cycling assistant that provides real time proximity warnings, navigation assistance, and enhanced environmental awareness.
With a growing interest in cycling and other soft mobility options further increased through COVID, a reinvigorated focus on improving user safety and lowering the barriers to entry to these transport methods was developed. Across the UK, most cycling accidents are caused by issues with communication and awareness, such as "misjudging others' speed". Our sleek and seamless design comes with a warning system based on the relative velocities of other users, a projected navigation system to avoid interruptions, and laser-based pothole detection and indication. These systems can be managed by an app, and customised to user needs and capabilities.

WINNING GROUP 3

Team members: Ria Dhopatkar, Avyay Jamadagni and Justin Keung

PROJECT TITLE: Talos – a wearable that prevents theft of personal belongings on public transport
Designed for young commuting professionals, Talos aims to transform the commuting experience by making users feel more confident about protecting their valuables during commutes. Users attach tags to devices they want to protect and wear a central device on their body. When the tag is further than a certain distance away from the central device, two things happen: the central device vibrates to alert the user, while the tag sirens alerts other commuters of the theft.

Year 2 DESE50005 Industrial Design Engineering

Year 3 DESE60001 Design Engineering Futures

Year 4 DESE97018 Design Engineering Master’s Project

BRIEF STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, PROF. RAFAEL CALVO
The Master’s Project aims to provide students with the opportunity to work on a major piece of research in Design Engineering, using the knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt throughout the MEng in Design Engineering programme of study. Students are expected to implement a project at the edge of Design Engineering know-how, using new technology or exploiting scientific knowledge. From this year's cohort, four students' work as below have been selected for their outstanding achievements, rigorous process, and excellent outcomes.

WINNING STUDENTS

Student: Shafae Ali

Project Title: Automated Computational Design for Personalised Wearable Footwear Technology

Synopsis:
Shafae Ali
This work achieves a computational design pipeline that automatically generates user-specific footwear from a 3D foot scan, embeds a volumetric autorouted circuit with integrated sensors around the shoe, and adapts surface design based on an image input. The footwear was prototyped, and 3D printed using foaming TPU on a single extruder 3D printer, resulting in a monomaterial variable density shoe, producing 23.8% of CO2e in manufacturing processes compared to existing sneakers. Sensors are used to track motion, pressure and temperature which is then used for human activity recognition through local machine learning. The circuit was manufactured on a low-cost £500 FDM dual extrusion 3D printer using conductive TPU filament.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, PROF. RAFAEL CALVO
Shafae applied everything learned in the Design Engineering programme to produce an innovative type of footwear, advancing concepts to support walking - the most sustainable and healthy form of mobility. Reviewers were particularly impressed by how Shafae used new materials to produce this single-material solution. The project showed evidence of excellence in Design, Engineering and Innovation. His engagement with external partners also demonstrate other skills in team working and translation.

Student: Abigail Langbridge

Project Title: Respiratory-Aware Routing: An Individualised Pollution Mitigation System for Cycle Commuters

Synopsis:
Abigail Langbridge
Transport emissions are globally recognised as a worsening problem, with the cost to the NHS alone forecast to reach £10 billion by 2035. Those travelling in urban areas using active modes are particularly at risk of harm from these emissions due to their increased breathing rate and proximity to vehicles, however this risk is poorly quantified. This work presents a proof-of-concept system for the optimisation of pollution inhalation, demonstrating the remarkable variation of risk between individuals travelling between the same origin and destination. In particular, this work highlights that individuals' risk is strongly dependent on their fitness, with up to three times more pollution inhaled by the less fit subject. This finding demonstrates that personalised commute optimisation could be a hugely effective method of reducing pollution risk, improving the net benefit of active commuting to cyclists in urban areas.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, PROF. RAFAEL CALVO
The report by Abigail demonstrates excellence in the design and execution of an artificial intelligence (AI) and data project. The reviewers highlighted how in each of the studies that form the components of the project. The way the aim was broken down into these components showed a natural instinct for research and development. The work itself showed high rigour and as such clear validation and evaluation of the findings.

Student: Alfie Mcmeeking

Project Title: 3D Printing Self-Healing Footwear With Genetically Modified Bacteria Loaded Bio-inks

Synopsis:
Alfie Mcmeeking
Each year 23 billion pairs of footwear are created, with greater than 300 million disposed of in the same period. Of this footwear, designed to be replaced frequently to keep up with fast fashion and align with the latest trends, 80% are sent to landfills and 20% are incinerated. This model is unsustainable, with large amounts of carbon emissions also produced in the manufacture and transportation. The manufacturing methods and material proposed in this project would result in a 62% reduction in CO2 produced from the life cycle of the shoe. Methods for bacterial growth, along with a computer vision mould detection alert system have been created. Optimised growth mixtures were applied to Micro-3D printing, in which the bacteria directly fill out the form of the shoe. Following the growth of the bacterial pellicle, a method of sterilisation was proposed which produces 33 times fewer carbon emissions than conventional methods. Finally, a second method for shoe production was used, in which a Bacterial nanocellulose-based gel was created and printed using an extrusion 3D printer. This material was extensively tested against footwear requirements.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, PROF. RAFAEL CALVO
Reviewers felt this was an extraordinary effort producing a novel way of manufacturing shoes in a very sustainable way, literally seeking sustainable growth. The report is a fascinating paper that explores the use case of self-healing shoes facilitated by genetically modified bacteria. The methodology is highly detailed and evidence is thoroughly documented. The findings provide strong validation for the product, even though the development and testing remains at rather small scale for now.

Student: Adedunke (Dedun) Oyenuga

Project Title: Sink or Swim? Designing a Web-App to Support Black Women Suffering from Impostor Syndrome

Synopsis:
Adedunke (Dedun) Oyenuga
The impostor phenomenon is disproportionately high among people of African and/or Caribbean descent (Bravata et al., 2019). This project took an intersectional approach to exploring experiences of impostorism, by specifically studying it amongst black women. It involved a user research study including (1) a systematic content review of existing mental health apps, (2) a statistical analysis of impostor syndrome amongst different demographics and (3) interviews with 9 black women and other key stakeholders. The study concluded in the design of a mental health web-app,‘Swim’, specifically designed to support black women experiencing impostor syndrome. This design was completed via a series of participatory workshops where the outcome was a prototype created in Figma.

Swim is a mood-tracking app that enables users who experience impostor syndrome to (1) label their impostorism feelings, (2) rate their intensity, (3) identify where these feelings have come from and (4) take appropriate action to tackle them. It is designed to calm users who need relief from immediate, emotionally heightened periods of impostor syndrome, but also designed for long-term management of the phenomenon.

PROJECT STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER, PROF. RAFAEL CALVO
The project by Dedun showed excellence in design and the understanding of a 'human systems' type of project with a focus on a problem that affects the health and ageing of many, particularly minority groups in society. Motivated by her personal values, Dedun focused on a very difficult and understudied problem, designing a solution informed by multiple stakeholders.

Year 1 DESE40004 Human Centred Design Engineering

STATEMENT FROM THE MODULE LEADER
Human Centred Design Engineering focuses on designing solutions and experiences that resonate with their end users and fit into a wider socio-cultural, technological and business context. This year, 30 teams imagined, prototyped and tested design concepts around the topic of wellbeing. The three winning teams - Hebe, Breathe and PortaPens – produced strong design outcomes through a rich set of user-centred design methods and a rigourous process.

WINNING GROUP 1

Team members: Laura Bastos, Eva Brazier, Joe Johnson

PROJECT TITLE Hebe: a unique combination of a skipping rope, resistance band and dumbbells to diversify older adults exercise routines.

Cardio, strength and flexibility are the three pillars for a balanced and active lifestyle. Most older adults focus on only one, often neglecting strength and flexibility. Prevent and reverse the effects of ageing with Hebe, an inclusive multifunctional and app-enabled skipping rope that guides the user through the 3 types of exercise.

WINNING GROUP 2

Team members: Harris Mier, Lily Owuye, Shangyun Shi

PROJECT TITLE

Breathe: A smart desktop device that promotes well-being through controlled breathing and guided meditation

Covid-19 forced many people into a new remote working routine, for which they were unprepared. Our inquiry showed that users had a strong association between their usual office and work, but also an association between home and rest. This subconscious association meant user's remote working days are driven by time consuming non-important habits that take a toll on their productivity but, more crucially, on their physical and mental well-being, primarily through stress and the generation of Cortisol, otherwise known as the stress hormone.

Our concept, differentiated to the surrounding market by accessibility and affordability, aims to reduce this negative impact of remote work with a desktop device that prompts users to take regular constructive breaks from work to participate in guided meditation. During which, onboard LEDs pulse at a customisable pace to slow and focus the user's breathing. Research shows that this practice has countless physical health benefits. Furthermore, a built-in heart rate sensor is used to monitor users' health, providing instant feedback to encourage users to break from or continue with their work, based on the devices prediction of their well-being, this is simply communicated with colour coded lighting.

As previously mentioned, the device is fully customisable, from the colour of the product’s over- moulded rubber surface to the colour and pace of the guided breathing LED prompt. With this customisability, we hope to create a comforting familiar experience that earns its place as an everyday remote working convention.

WINNING GROUP #3

Team members: Lavinia Bocaniala, Xianghao Wang, Rita Yammine

PROJECT TITLE

PortaPens: a personalisable, compact and portable skincare storage and application system for teenagers with acne.

PortaPens offers a simplified solution to encourage teens who struggle to maintain their skincare routines consistently to improve their acne. It includes refillable product pens for hands-free application & extra space to store acne medication, all stored in a small, sleek and hygienic case.

Year 3 DESE60001 Design Engineering Futures

Year 4 DESE97018 Design Engineering Master's Project

Year 1 DESE40004 Human Centred Design Engineering

DE1 - Human Centred Design Engineering

Assignment:

Group human centred design project consisting of several submissions carried out over two years

Statement from the Module Leader:

Human Centred Design Engineering focuses on making products that resonate with their end users and fit into a wider business, technological and cultural context. This year, 29 teams produced designs around the topic of physical wellbeing and engaged users to identify actual needs, gather feedback on concepts, and ultimately validate their designs. 3 Teams are granted the DESIRE award this year. These teams showed excellent human-centred design process and strong design outcomes.

Winners:

Project title and description:

Protec: A noise monitoring device that integrates into existing PPE for the construction industry.

Team Members: Eve Williamson, James Skinner, Tianxiao Wang

Human Centred Design Engineering - Project Protec

"The ‘SHIELD’ clips onto a pair of ear defenders, integrating into worker’s daily wear, in a clearly visible position. Once dangerous noise levels in the environment are detected, the on-screen display lights red to prompt the user to put on their protection. This eliminates the uncertainty of when ear protection should be put on.

Devices are calibrated individually, based on the attenuation level provided by the user’s ear protection. After placing protection over the ears, the shield accounts for this; turning green when it's safe to remove the defenders, orange if the user is protected, but not safe to take off, and red to indicate that the current protection is insufficient. This confirms whether the user is properly shielded."

Project title and description:

The Model G: An ergonomic keyboard built directly into the frame of a laptop.

Team Members: Daniel Rebollini, Joseph Folkes, Amber King

"Introducing the Model G, the world’s first keyboard for the new NIK Standard. An ergonomic keyboard built entirely into the frame of a normal laptop, with no sacrifices in ergonomics or portability. Designed from the ground up to allow users as much freedom as possible in using laptop keyboards, while helping reduce wrist strain."

Project title and description:

Glow: A discreet belt to alleviate menstrual pain

Team Members: Alana Bralsford, Josh Lowe, Itziar de Pedro

"A modern solution to an age-old problem. Combing comfort and effectiveness has resulted in a blend of innovative design that conforms to our user insights. The breathable material ensures you keep dry by evenly spreading sweat across the surface in order for it to evaportate more quickly. The pads are removable so the belt can be washed. From the heat being applied front and back, the adjustability of the belt strap and the simplicity of putting in the heat pads, user feedback has defined the way our belt fits and behaves."

Year 3 DESE96006 Design Engineering Futures

Year 4 DESE97006 Solo Project

DESIRE Award for Sustainability

Winner: Gabriele D’Amone

Project title: Butterfly – Indoor Air Quality

DE4 Solo Project - Butterfly "Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) can impact the health and productivity of building occupants. However, current devices show poor accuracy and confusing readings communication. Butterfly is the first IAQ monitor with a computationally optimised sensing chamber, which enables superior airflow control and unparalleled sensing quality. A 90% faster response time enables occupants to be quickly alerted of unseen hazards through colour-coded acrylic wings. A modular system allows the sensing board to be replaced, ensuring long-term accuracy and easy maintenance."

Statement from the Module Leader:

The DESIRE Award for Sustainability has been given to “Butterfly” within the Solo Project module led by Dr. Celine Mougenot. The panel was particularly impressed by Gabriele D’Amone’s ambition to propose the first Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitor with a computationally optimised sensing chamber. Butterfly enables building occupants to monitor indoor air quality in a highly accurate yet user-friendly manner.

DESIRE award for Social Impact

Winner: Ruksana Shaukat-Jali

Project title: Social Anxiety Sensing System : Detecting Social Anxiety Using Physiological Data

DE4 Solo Project - Social Anxiety "Social anxiety greatly affects young people’s lives, but the solutions currently in place are inadequate for the rising prevalence of the problem. Detection of social anxiety using wearables may provide a novel way of recognising it, which reveals new opportunities for monitoring and treatment. This would be greatly beneficial for sufferers, the society and healthcare services. This project is one of the first to investigate whether social anxiety in young people can be detected using physiological data collected from a wearable. The results indicated that it could be possible to detect social anxiety in young people using this approach."

Statement from the Module Leader:

The DESIRE Award for Social Impact has been given to “Social Anxiety Sensing System” within the Solo Project module led by Dr. Celine Mougenot. The panel was particularly impressed by Ruksana Shaukat-Jali’s project which pioneers the detection of social anxiety using physiological data collected from a wearable. By revealing new opportunities for monitoring and treatment of social anxiety, the project is expected to be greatly beneficial for sufferers, the society and healthcare services.

DESIRE award for Creativity

Winner: Federico Tiersen

Project title: Holdable Devices: Making Our Phones Good for Our Brains

DE4 Solo Project - Holdable Devices "Holdable Devices have the ability to sense when you use your phone inattentively or compulsively. They then induce mindfulness and reflection through tactile feedback and abstract visualisations, so you effortlessly regain control of your phone, your time and your mind. User-centred design, psychology and engineering methodologies were combined to create tangible interfaces that tackle the underlying mechanisms of problematic smartphone habits. An integrated hardware and software solution accurately classifies potentially unhealthy behaviours (e.g., scrolling or tapping through social media, frequently checking for notifications)."

Statement from the Module Leader:

The DESIRE Award for Creativity has been given to “Holdable Devices: Making Our Phones Good for Our Brains” within the Solo Project module led by Dr. Celine Mougenot. The panel was very impressed by Federico Tiersen’s tangible interface that can detect when a phone is used inattentively or compulsively and induce mindfulness through tactile feedback and abstract visualisations. User-centred design, psychology and engineering were combined to create interfaces that tackle the underlying mechanisms of problematic smartphone habits.

DESIRE award for Technological Breakthrough

Winner: Minal Choudhary

Project title: IUC: A Novel Non-Hormonal Contraceptive

DE4 Solo Project - IUC: A Novel Non-Hormonal Contraceptive "The IUC is a smaller, softer and more flexible copper intrauterine device, which aims to reduce the pain points associated with current IUDs."

Statement from the Module Leader:

The DESIRE Award for Technological Breakthrough has been given to “IUC: A Novel Non-Hormonal Contraceptive” within the Solo Project module led by Dr. Celine Mougenot. The panel was impressed by Minal Choudhary’s proposal to disrupt the field of intrauterine contraception using a combined approach in service design, additive manufacturing and materials science. This novel intra-uterine device (IUD) – smaller, softer and more flexible than competitors - is expected to reduce women’s pain and health complications associated with current IUDs.