Graduate masterminds safety system

On Thursday 11 July, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering student, Simon Dixon, received the Ede & Ravenscroft Prize during Solent's Department of Science and Engineering’s graduation ceremonies.

The prize is in recognition of Simon’s inspiring Final Major Project (FMP), which saw him create a Fall Protection System.

Influenced by his younger brother’s experiences with uncontrolled epilepsy, Simon wanted to find a way to improve his life by reducing the injuries he incurs due to falling. With this in mind, Simon designed a system which would inflate air pillows when it detects a fall, built into a jacket his brother would wear. Simon says:

“The product uses an Arduino microprocessor which will work with an accelerometer and a gyroscope. Essentially, once the two sensors detect an increased velocity in a downward motion, the Arduino will trigger a compressed air cylinder to inflate the airbags within microseconds.

“Another key aspect of the project was to protect the user’s dignity as well as their body. This will be accomplished by enclosing all the technology and the airbags between the outer shell of the jacket and the inner lining. I took this approach to ensure users wouldn’t have to worry about advertising their condition.”

Simon presented his product at the Solent Student Conference on Friday 14 June. Representatives from Safety Belt Solutions Ltd were in attendance and, as a company which develops similar products, were interested in his work. Impressed, they offered Simon the use of their Dynamic Test Centre when he is ready for testing.

Simon, who is 38 and a Royal Naval veteran, says:

“I came to the academic scene a little later in life, and I firmly believe that the prospects a university degree can provide are immensely valuable. The skills and knowledge obtained from a degree in engineering enable us to make a real difference in the world, and Solent has been amazing throughout my time at university.”

Following graduation, and alongside his passion project, Simon is starting a career at the Ministry of Defense as a Mechanical Engineer. Dr Janet Bonar, Course Leader Mechanical and Manfacturing Engineering, says:

“The Fall Protection System is an amazing project, using Simon’s product design and mechanical engineering skills to develop a product to improve someone’s life. Here at Solent, we equip students with the knowledge and encouragement they need to fix problems they care about, using their engineering skills. Simon has done exactly this!”