Meet the Engineer who developed a university research assignment into a commercial product using holistic user-centred design.
University of Bath Engineer Nia Simpson took her final-year mechanical engineering project, the Compact Cane, to the commercial market and now has a string of awards to her name (including University of Bath Alumni Innovation Award) .
Nia’s final-year mechanical engineering project brief was simple – improve the white cane.
Using a user-centred design approach to the project, Nia met Devanshi, Alex and Brenda who helped her to develop her design solution.
Nia’s digital cane, which is now awaiting its patent to be awarded, uses ultrasonic waves to identify obstacles and communicates these to a visually impaired user through vibrations.
After her graduation, Nia was supported by the University of Bath’s Innovation Centre to turn her idea into a business.
