Student Information Andrew Castle Easy Kneel
Left to Right: Willie Docherty, Bob McFarlane, Andrew Castle, Professor Jonathan Corney, Head of DMEM Department
I graduated in July 2010 with a Masters distinction in product design engineering at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. I chose the course as it combined freedom of design with the technical aspects of engineering. In our final year, we are asked to identify a problem that could be solved by design engineering principles. At the end of this process, after a lot of dedication and hard work, I was delighted to receive the IED prize for my project.
Gardening is one of the UK’s most popular pastimes and is predominantly carried out by older people. However, due to the degeneration with age of certain areas of the body, many products on the market are not suitable for older people. Thus, there is undeniably a requirement for better designed products in this sector. The aim of my project was to establish the problems that ageing people face when in the garden and use this information to design a product that would improve their enjoyment of the pastime.
To address this aim, market research was carried out. This showed that the primary problem of the older gardener were the actions of kneeling and bending. This was achieved by means of observation, interviews and questionnaires. User centred design was also used throughout to ensure the
end user was involved at every stage of the process. This ranged from identifying stronger concepts to testing mechanisms and final prototypes. The research identified a notable gap in the market and also clarified the target market group which the product could be aimed towards.
The outcome was the design of an innovative gardening kneeler called ‘EasyKneel’, which provides mechanical assistance for a gardener to get to and from ground level. Inspiration for the design came from the suspension system in a hatchback car. I initially observed how springs within office chairs provide simple movement, both upwards and downwards. However, as the spring is fixed, its use for lowering to ground level is not possible. As the gas struts on a car pivot about a ball joint, this allows rotation from a large angle to the horizontal plane.
I am currently working as a design engineer at Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (part of City Building Glasgow LLP), where I design bespoke furniture solutions for the private and public sectors. This involves working with clients, from initial contact right through to delivery and installation of solutions; an excellent situation in which to develop skills acquired during the product design engineering course at the University of Strathclyde.
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3Dconnexion is the expert when it comes to providing 2D and 3D design professionals with an immersive design experience. To help people produce better designs, faster and more comfortably is our mission. Digital prototyping is in our DNA. From aerospace to automotive, consumer goods to electronics, machine tools to game development, 3Dconnexion 3D mice accelerate productivity and design quality to a new level.
Details of other winning students and their projects can be found in the January/ February 2011 and November/ December 2010 issues of Engineering Designer.
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