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The student projects had to demonstrate all key aspects of mechatronics, mechanics, control and their integration to create a working prototype with a practical outcome. Students submitted their projects from universities all over the UK. The judges Jerry Hughes, Philip Moore, Per Bergfjord and Philip Arber commented that ‘all entries were of excellent quality’, but they could only select a maximum of 3 entries to go through to the finals. The 3 candidates provided their presentations and a demonstration of their prototypes to the Mechatronics, Informatics and Control Group (MICG) Board, judges, fellow candidates, their lecturers and guests. The judges selected a winner and 2 runners up.
We are pleased to announce that the winner was Cian Williams, and runner ups were George Chaplin and Hamish Munro. Jerry Hughes, MICG Board member and judge, noted it was a hard decision for the judges as all the projects presented were of very high standard. The winner was presented with their £1,000 prize money, sponsored by Elekta Ltd, and all participants were presented with a certificate and gift.
The MICG Board would like to thank Elekta Ltd for kindly sponsoring this competition, without them, this event would not have been possible, in particular Per Bergfjord, Head of Hardware Engineering, Global Engineering UK. Per is a member of the MICG board, a member of the organising committee for the competition and also a judge. The board also would like to thank Philip Arber, Head of Hardware Engineering, Elekta Ltd, for judging the contestants.
Per Bergfjord and Philip Arber from Elekta, a world leader in the design and manufacture of linear accelerators for Radiotherapy, were truly impressed with the projects presented by the finalists. They had all employed a structured systems engineering approach and demonstrated implementation of complex technology through to working prototypes. The winning project stood out with its technical ambition and thoroughness of execution but it was clear that all the finalists were highly talented engineers who all have great careers ahead of them.
Winner
Project: “Design of Avionics Systems for Uncrewed Aircraft operating in GNSS-Denied Environments” by Cian Williams, University of Bath. Read Cian’s winning project.
Statement from Cian Williams:
"I'm incredibly pleased to be receiving this award, and to have had the opportunity to share my project with the IMechE's Mechatronics community - it was a pleasure to meet the other finalists, and to chat with members of the Mechatronics, Informatics and Control Group, which provided an interesting insight into the importance of mechatronics within the IMechE. My project was a challenging, yet thoroughly interesting introduction to how mechatronics principles can be applied to the development of navigation systems for use aboard Uncrewed Aircraft, and to seen my hard work recognised through this award is very satisfying. I look forward to applying what I've learned in my future career, and to continue to grow my knowledge and interest in the field of mechatronics."
Runners up
Project: “Affective (Emotion) Therapy Pet” by Hamish Munro, University of Warwick
Project: Design and Modelling of a Payload Support Structure, with a Controlled Descent Test, for the ‘‘SpaDE’’ Model of the Deceleration of Satellite Debris in the Low Earth Orbit” By George Chaplin, University of Leicester. Read George's project.
Eric Rogers, Chair of the Mechatronics, Informatics and Control Group (MICG) would like to congratulate all our participants and wish them a successful career on behalf of the board, judges, and Elecka Ltd our sponsor. The MICG invites entries for their 2024 competition.
The Mechatronics, Informatics and Control Group (MICG) is concerned with the application of information and computer technology in mechanical engineering. If you have any questions regarding the competition, our activities or would like to volunteer on the MICG board, please email Membernetworks@imeche.org or join us on LinkedIn