IEEC Banner!

Well it has been over a year since returning from a fantastic year at San Francisco State University and i keep getting notifications from the great field of work being done by the IEEC. The IEEC, International Education Exchange Council exists to promote study abroad programs and provide social events and fundraising activities. During my time at SFSU I was an officer within the PR division, responsible for communication and media.

Part of my work in the role was to design a new logo to promote the student led organization, being proudly displayed on the Malcolm X Plaza on campus.

The IEEC organize great social events in the bay area, check it out!
https://www.facebook.com/ieecsfsu

Thomas Gerald Gray Prize

I am delighted to report that I am the successful recipient of the Thomas Gerald Gray prize which is awarded for ‘Greatest Academic Improvement within the Design area’.This is great news for me as i have been trying to constantly improve my work and knowledge of the subject. 


More about the award: The Thomas Gerald Gray Charitable Trust was established in memory of Thomas Gerald Gray, who died in 1988. During his working life in the field of engineering, Thomas Gray was concerned by the lack of appreciation and status of engineering within society. The Charity was registered in 1997 with the objective “to advance public education, particularly concerning engineering and technology and the promotion of study and appreciation of engineering and technology”. During 1999 the Trustees formed a partnership with Brunel with a view to fulfilling the aims of the Charity.


In the name of Thomas Gerald Gray, I aim to similarly raise awareness and appreciation for engineering and technology. I believe in todays global economy, this is becoming ever more important as businesses realize the importance of design, engineering and technology in order to become successful.


Thank you to Brunel and of course, Thomas Gerald Gray for this award.

A study into discomfort on a bicycle.

A large part of my major project investigated what makes a cyclist uncomfortable on a bike. For the most part, incorrect bike fit was to blame. This is being handled beautifully by such systems as the Specialized BG Fit. A cause of discomfort that remains however is the vibration experienced while riding over different road surfaces. Low frequency, high magnitude disturbances are dealt with by suspension systems, yet for higher frequency, low magnitude vibrations such as experienced while cycling on the road. By large, Specialized are the only manufacture tackling this phenomenon and perhaps more importantly, bring solutions, to market with such products as the Specialized Roubaix.

Through research however I have discovered that vibration is felt with higher intensity at the hands. Part of the reason for this is the nature of tactile receptors of the skin that makes up the hand, being much more sensitive to a specific range of frequency and magnitude.

Prototype Mechanism

These prototypes were made to demonstrate the form and functionality of a seat post tilting mechanism, that uses a collar to clamp the saddle. Using clear Acrylic was helpful to communicate how the internals of this mechanism operate.

Tilt Mechanism Prototype

This prototype, demonstrates an approach that uses the movement of two different axes. An outside diameter remains fixed in one axis and when rotated, forces the inner axis to assume a new position, altering the angle of the saddle. This particular prototype was made to explore methods in which to alter the angle of a bicycle saddle. It turned out to require too many parts to be economical for manufacture so a more simple, refined solution was employed. 

Made in Brunel - Mint.com

Today concludes the final day of our design degree exhibition, Made in Brunel. Presented here is my design concept for Mint.com, a payment exchange device that brings back tactility with money. I have been extremely pleased with the positive feedback received at the show, from colleagues and industry professionals. A big thank you everybody that made this show possible.

Bicycle manufacture and purchase philosophy

This is a graphic I have produced, to communicate the importance of achieving balance between aerodynamics, comfort, stiffness and weight in order to go faster on a bicycle. Without the correct balance of these elements for a specific need, then performance of the bicycle is not optimized for the conditions or indeed the rider.