YOUNG ENGINEERS AND SUCCESSION PLANNING


wracking’. A team member said: “We wanted to create something which would make her feel as if she had the same amount of choice and independence in hospital as at home.” In the future, the team said it hoped to add solar panels to power the product, and to incorporate materials such as wood. The team incorporated a circuit with a button connected to a buzzer using crocodile clips, with the inbuilt servo motor activatable by a nurse in a separate room, causing the ‘360-degree motor’ to slowly turn the table with the food on it, for the


patient to select from. Curved edges were incorporated to make the product feel ‘more comforting and organic’. The team explained that they ‘spent conservatively’, re-using scrap material wherever possible to reduce the cost to IHEEM. A team member said: “We began by spending on essentials, and then adapted to see how much we could spend on aesthetics to make the product more appealing to Meera.” When the button on the device is


pressed, a buzzer sounds in the nurses’ room, the nurse can ask whether the patient wants something specific, or a range of food, and, once the food is on


the table, it is delivered ‘in an inclusive and exciting way’. The team highlighted how well they had collaborated and pooled their skills and thinking to overcome any problems encountered.


incorporates a solar panel to power it. Easy to disassemble, to enable its re-use by other patients, the prototype was originally designed ‘in series’, but the


for six-year-old Harry, with a focus on motivating him to eat. It incorporates lights, more of which illuminate as he eats, is designed to track how much he eats, and


light didn’t work, so the team modified it with a ‘parallel’ design. A team member explained: “The lighter that the patient’s plate gets, the brighter the lights get, and the more the speaker activates, to reward their eating. We learned how to make a pressure plate, and to improve the product we could add further lights, or make the light Harry’s favourite colour. We could also incorporate a dimmer switch.” With some Faradays ‘left over’, the team was able to decorate the prototype. One of the team’s interesting discoveries was that the circuit worked through aluminium foil, although the eventual product would be wired. The team also explained how the members undertook different roles – such as budgeting, design, and assembly.


year-old patient, with the focus on encouraging him to play. A team member explained: “To encourage this, we looked to motivate him to connect with his family, as well as have fun playing in hospital.” On pressing a button on the team’s ‘box’, the patient is played a pre-recorded message – for instance from his parents, perhaps ‘setting him a challenge’. The product is designed to allow a number of different messages to be played, for instance from different family members. It also incorporates a wall or floor-mountable pressure pad, which activates a solar panel. When the patient throws a ball at it, the light illuminates, and a light-dependent resistor then activates a further message – for example from a friend or family member the young patient doesn’t see often – congratulating them for their efforts. The team said that in final form, the


product would be more compact, easily transportable, and inclusive, to ensure, for example, that it could be used by someone with a disability. It could also be adapted – for use by deaf patients – to display a written version of the messages received. The incorporation of solar panels is designed to enable the device to be sustainably powered, with the energy harnessed stored at night. There is also a hatch


which gives easy access to any batteries used. The team stressed that they only bought components and materials they needed, but also looked to sell back any unused items and materials. Team members also stressed how well they had collaborated.


August 2022 Health Estate Journal 37


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