The Design Show, held at the end of last term, is part of the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos (MET) course, a programme for 3rd and 4th-year engineering students who have successfully completed the first two years of an engineering degree.

Teams of three or four Manufacturing Engineering Tripos students have completed a major design project to develop a new product, with real business potential. Having first identified a customer need, they have researched the market, developed original design concepts and created a full business plan. The projects have generated some exciting new ideas and innovative technology. In the past, some of the products on display have been taken up by the industrial partners involved during the development stages. This is now happening more and more frequently, with two or three projects deemed to have the same potential this year.

The Design Show is held each year for an invited audience of industrialists, designers, venture capitalists and academics, as well as friends and relatives. Students put together displays to explain the technical and business ideas behind the products, together with design details and prototype models of the products themselves.

The design projects

Adande Fridge

Product and process re-engineering of an insulated refrigerator drawer for volume-cost reduction enabling introduction into the domestic market.

ArtiSun

A device enabling paper conservators to restore artwork using aqueous light bleaching with greater ease and reliability.

Bumpabag

A product designed to provide external storage for small cars whose boots are overloaded.

The Cambridge Chair

The Cambridge Chair offers a new integrated solution to office seating and layout.

Chameleon PaperSave

A product which aims to provide institutions with the means to easily re-use paper, by sorting mixed recycled paper into reusable (one or both sides blank) and non-reusable piles.

Element Weather Station

A low cost, highly integrated weather station, providing a complete solution for both weather enthusiasts and commercial users.

Horus

Horus is a revolutionary approach to noise insulation in windows using an active cancelling, suction mounted device.

Make It

A game-based education programme to introduce students to manufacturing engineering.

SeeSense

An affordable, intuitive and discreet device enabling visually impaired users to navigate their environments and detect obstacles with the power of ultrasound.

SmartJack

A device that enables wireless audio transmission between any set of devices by interfacing with a standard audio jack.

If you want to find out more, please contact Jim Platts.