Rachel Newell
Industrial Design and Technology
Final year project
To design a cooking aid that allows the visually impaired to become independent and confident within their own kitchen setting.
KOKKUR, a cooking aid for the visually impaired.
KOKKUR is a cooking aid that allows the visually impaired to cook food safely through the cooking methods; steaming, frying and boiling in their own independent environment.
KOKKUR, a cooking aid for the visually impaired.
The device has tactile knobs and switches, with vocal and visual feedback that allows the user to learn and become independent in the cooking process without assistance.
KOKKUR, a cooking aid for the visually impaired.
The device is designed to fit on the average size counter-top of the kitchen work surface. It does not replace the existing hobs as it needs to be removable.
AROMA, allowing absent family members to connect with other members of the family over food.
AROMA is a type of diffuser that links to Virtual Reality apps most compatible with Google Cardboard. While watching a video of an absent family figure in a cooking setting, it will send out the scent of the food cooked at certain points in the video to immerse the users in the situation. It's used to create a bond between family members that are absent, such as a reward for prisoners as a way of communicating with their children on the outside. It can also be used in the military as a way to see the service man/women that is away. It is a service-system, meaning the users will send the scent away that is collected by the absent member, the company then attracts it and sends it to the user to put into the diffuser with the video, which leads to them being able to watch their family member as if they were there cooking infront of them while using VR technology.
FLO, a feminine hygiene product that tackles the waste problem of existing menstrual products.
Over 1000 disposable menstrual products are disposed in each women's lifespan, this leads to 45 billion products being disposed of globally each year. There is a problem with these as a lot are made out of plastic and are being flushed down toilets. 7.3% of UK toilet waste is tampons, applicators and panty liners meaning the existing alternative methods are not being used enough such as the moon cup. FLO tackles the problem of existing reusable methods, women find the moon cup too dirty and inconvenient to be used daily. FLO tackles the problem of this by having a handbag size cleaning facility and a applicator the size of a tampon so it is easier to insert for the women. The applicator expands once inserted and collects the body liquid, once removed it then contracts back to its original size for cleaning. It is split in two for the cleaning process allowing it to be hygienically cleaned fully and the liquid that the applicator is cleaned in can be flushed down the toilet.
RAISE, an anxiety monitoring device and system.
The band is used to measure how much anxiety a person experiences within an average day. The screen is used to represent the anxiety through visual and numeric methods; displaying the users heart rate. The reasoning behind the creation of the product is when people are trying to combat and treat anxiety, the patients anxiety is only truly method by the accuracy of the patients handwritten record. This is leads to ineffective treatments causing more counselling costs for the NHS. RAISE allows the users anxiety to be relayed back to an app on the users phone and show the users anxiety on the device throughout the day so they can monitor it themselves. The technology will use the users pulse on their wrist to gather data and will calculate the baseline heart rate.
RIO 2016 Injection Moulded shoe spike changer.
The spike changer was designed as part of a group project including six team members. The changer was designed to be for publicity of the Rio 2016 Olympics as a give away to promote the games. The aim of the project was to create a mould through Milling. The production method of injection moulding was used to create the spike changer and use the material LDPE. The manufacturing of the widget in mass production of three million in quantity was also worked out along the stages. The layout of the mould therefore had to be figured out for mass production over a period of thirteen weeks. Having a group project taught how to work to a time scale and work within a group setting across a series of stages from CAD, programming, milling, hand alterations and mass production scenarios.
PHILIPS GO 1500, a cooking device for student travellers.
The name of the product comes from the fact that it is used on the go and the average amount of calories of an adult consumed a day is 1500. The product is design for ease of use, easy to transport and control, allowing the user to use it using simple techniques. The product is desired for students aged eighteen to twenty-two and travellers using methods of inter-railers. It allows the users to eat hot food on the go while travelling around abroad. The cooking method is using butane gas canisters, as the sizing of this method is the best, the heating is all internal so is safe for the users to use and are hidden so they cannot be damaged. If the butane canistor runs out it is simply undone, refilled and reattached.
Rachel Newell
I am an innovative and logical thinker, who is keen to use my skills to help individuals with disabilities function better in their everyday lives.
I have worked on quite a few projects involving my main area of interest; disabilities. This has included designing and prototyping a wearable anxiety monitor, which individuals could use to monitor their heartrate throughout the day and log into an app. I have also researched the influence of design on emotions and wellbeing, where I conducted questionnaires and evaluated what resources are out there and their functionality. For, my final project, I have designed and prototyped a cooking aid for the visually impaired. Further projects have involved; a cooking smell odouriser to simulate the feeling of being in a family environment for those away from home, a reusable sanitary product to have a positive impact on waste reduction, and a multipurpose condiment bottle that also reduces waste within restaurants. My strengths include being able to work efficiently both individually and within a team to complete assigned briefs under time pressure. I am also able to take on board criticism and constructively work towards bettering myself. Furthermore, I have additional experience in CAD, taking on extra modules and practicing in my spare time to advance these skills. I have acquired additional skills that encompass; Abode Illustrator and Photoshop, CREO Parametric, Techsoft 2D Design, Sketchbook Pro, Keyshot, model making (e.g. blueform, prolab, MDF), sketching, woodworking, and basic programming. Moreover, I have learned how to mass produce products via rapid prototyping. To further my ability to communicate with different users, I am also qualified in Foundation Level Makaton, and have a full UK driver’s license that enables me to travel when necessary. Through university I have learned that my area of speciality is CAD, which has led me to realise that I would like to pursue a career in special effects. Otherwise I would like to become a designer that advocates for inclusive design.
Experience
I have done a lot of volunteer work aiding as a fundraiser for charity events. I also have some experience as a classroom assistant, waiting staff at a local tearoom, and as an assistant for event support and catering events. Furthermore, I also tutored sixth form students for their Maths and Psychology GSCE’s and/or A Levels. All of the aforementioned opportunities have allowed me to further my communication skills with a variety of audiences, have shown that I am willing to go above and beyond to help others, and that I am driven to be successful in multiple areas. I have likewise entered design competitions such as Student Starpack and FIRA Future@Work competition. Although I did not win these, I believe they have been good occasions to develop and hone the skills that I have developed throughout my degree.