Student skills on show
A pilot health monitor, a wearable wellbeing device for women who have had a caesarean section and a high-tech pet to reduce anxiety are just some of the product designs unveiled this year by students at Brunel University London. The showcase of ideas includes healthcare tech as well as innovative transport and energy solutions.
The Aevi, designed by Sarah Bradshaw, is a hand-held, bird-shaped device that uses machine learning to understand an individual user and how to help calm them. It employs movement and breathing exercises and is fitted with a heart-rate sensor to monitor stress levels. Another wellbeing tool is the Nurture Recovery wristband and app, by Francesca Green, which encourages women to take care of themselves while recovering from a caesarean birth.
The products also include a device to help people with Parkinson’s disease keep walking when their legs freeze. Inventor Jon Fisher created the Peter wearable device for his father, who has the condition. He said: "While Parkinson's is often characterised by shaking, freezing of gait is one of its most common symptoms. Freezing causes individuals‘ legs to become randomly stuck walking, gluing their foot to the floor.
“Amazingly, it can be solved by playing rhythms that shift their attention to moving, helping them focus on their next steps. By applying bone conduction technology, the device plays audible cues through the user's collarbone, providing a comfortable necklace design that anyone can wear. This unique application allows users to hear the rhythms and their environment simultaneously, increasing their awareness. An integrated motion sensor clips to any shoe, ensuring an audible beat is immediately presented only when freezing episodes occur.”
