University of Edinburgh Creating the Bench Bed Prototype

The University of Edinburgh, School of Engineering are a regional partner for our Leaders Award competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. As part of this continued partnership, the university have selected a pupil’s idea submitted to our Leaders Award competition to turn it into a working prototype over the 2024/2025 academic year.

Pupil designer Libby, a pupil in P7, will see her engineering idea the ‘Bench Bed’ turned into a reality! Her idea is a bench by day but can become a bed by night, folding down to become a bed with walls surrounding it making it a warm environment for homeless people to sleep in.

Introduction to the ProtoTeam:

Imogen Heard, Specialist Technical Officer (STO) (Co-Electrics Lead and Ergonomics): “I have been with The university of Edinburgh for almost 3 years as a Specialist Technical Officer. My focus is on Embedded Systems, utilising digital electronics & programmable microcontrollers to develop automation, sensing and data acquisition systems for research & teaching experiments.”

Steven Gourlay, Mechanical workshop Technical Support Officer (TSO) (Co-Design Lead): “I have been involved in Design/ Manufacturing for over 37 years. I join the university of Edinburgh in 2007 as the technician for Chemical Engineering. In 2011 I took on the role of Technical Support Officer (TSO) and I am responsible for the introduction, development and management of the current manufacturing facility in the School of Engineering. I also look after the design and development of research equipment within the Institute of Materials and Processes as well as assisting with other institutes when required.”

Alasdair Christie, Assistant Laboratory Technician (Co-Electrics Lead and Comms Lead): “I have been with the University of Edinburgh for 7 years starting as a lab assistant and working my way up the ranks. Thanks to the support of the university I have recently graduated with a BEng Electrical and Electronic degree and I am enjoying being able to apply what I have learned over the years to the exciting projects Primary Engineer has produced.”

Dr Katie Grant, Student Recruitment and Outreach Officer (Schools Lead): “I have been with the School of Engineering for a year and a half, but have been at the University of Edinburgh for 10 years having started as an undergraduate student and going on to complete my PhD here too. My current role involves working with schools to engage young learners with engineering and helping them on their journey to becoming an engineer! I lead the public engagement and schools programme in the team, and am overall project manager too.“

Tom Bolland, MakerSpace Supervisor (Materials): “I have over 6.5 years of experience working with cool projects. For the past 3.5 years, I’ve been a MakerSpace supervisor, helping people build things like rockets and race cars. Before that, I spent 3 years making electronics for escape rooms, creating fun puzzles. I love taking fun ideas and turning them into reality with hands-on work and creativity.”

Iain Gold, Technical Support Officer (TSO) (Budget Lead): “I have been with the University of Edinburgh for nearly 10 years starting of as the technician for the electronics teaching laboratory. I have worked my way up and became Technical Services Officer (TSO) for the Electrical and Electronic Group. I have always had a passion for engineering and love taking things apart and seeing what makes them tick.”

Matthew Proudfoot, Assistant Mechanical Workshop Technician (Co-Design Lead): “My job is to help with manufacturing mechanical parts for research projects for the school of engineering. I have been with the University for over 4 years mainly as an apprentice where I learned a variety of technical skills for an engineering workshop from industry experienced professionals.”

Mathew Hunton, Assistant Mechanical Engineering Technician (Mechanical): “After over a decade in the oil and gas sector in Alberta, Canada, I returned to school and completed a diploma in Nanosystems Engineering Technology at NAIT before moving to Scotland to join the Civil and Structural Engineering department at University of Edinburgh.”

Dr Marcelo Dias, Reader in structural engineering (Structures): “I’m currently is a Reader in Structural Mechanics at the University of Edinburgh, leading the “Mechanics and Geometry of Advanced Structures Laboratory” (MEGA SLab) in the Institute for Infrastructure and Environment at the School of Engineering. I’ve been in the school for 3.5 years.”

Why have they chosen this pupil idea?

There were a variety of reasons the Bench Bed was chosen, but primarily it was the social responsibility aspect they liked. It was brilliant to see a young person caring for those in a less fortunate position than themselves, putting in time and effort to think of how to improve their situation by giving them a safe, warm, and dry place to sleep. It was particularly heartening to see that the pupil was thinking of more than just her community, stating “there are millions of homeless people all around the world”. It also has the potential for use by a wide range of people in the public and provides us with the opportunity to engage with local communities and schools by asking them to help design the outer shell of the bench.

The ProtoTeam also liked the clear design and detailed explanation of how the Bench Bed would work. It showed how the bench would fold in and out, as well as the extra features like blankets, pillows, and lights. The pupil demonstrated how it could be used in the day and not just at night.

Commercial potential was also seen in the design. The adaptability of the design features to fit different budgets really highlighted that this product could one day be taken up by charities and councils.

Last, but not least, they liked its potential. In the selection meeting, it was discussed how the design could be expanded to include many features to help people. Features such as phone chargers, Wi-Fi, help alerts, and monitoring of the homeless population (something that is lacking unfortunately) were all discussed. It also has the potential for the design to be modified to fit in with its surroundings.

Initial Design Meeting:

After selecting the Bench Bed, the ProtoTeam had an initial design meeting where they brainstormed ideas and designs for how they would make the Bench Bed a reality.

It was a robust discussion where they explored many concepts, from box-shaped beds to cylinders to canopies. A key part of the discussion was visualising how the mechanics of the design could be used. They also discussed what materials could be used, what the aesthetic could be, what electrics could go into it, and potential manufacturing methods.

At the end of the meeting, they had two designs we planned on creating with Computer Aided Design (CAD) and presenting to Libby.

Presenting to Libby

On Friday 27th of September the team held a design meeting with Libby and her parents. The key aims of this meeting was to introduce her to the team and to have her feedback on the proposed changes to her original design. After pitching the designs to Libby, she decided to go with design two. The team were very clear with why they had made the changes they had, and explained that by using a cylindrical design the mechanism would be much easier for people to use. Libby liked that the second design could be a shelter during the day as well as turning into the bed at night, she was also happy with the change in design from a box to a cylinder.

After further discussion, it was decided the following would be good to include, if possible, in the storage compartments:

i. Pillow and covers

ii. Heated blanket

iii. Mattress

iv. Towel

v. Basic first aid kit

vi. Hygiene supplies

vii. Defibrillator

For the electrics, Libby liked the idea of the following:

i. USB charger

ii. Solar panels

iii. Lights that come on when it’s dark

iv. Lights that can be switched off

v. GSM, communications system for those without a phone

A few more advancements that were developed in the meeting by Libby and the team included:

• discussion of an internal foldable structure to reflect the heat and/or a ventilation system to ensure the structure doesn’t overheat
• the idea of having a hook at the back of the design along with some sort of drying rack for clothes
• discussion of 3D printing the light switch with glow-in-the-dark filament or adding an LED to it
• a possible water filtration system to capture rainwater and provide drinking water

One aspect that Libby was keen on, which shows great social responsibility, was the Bench Bed being open to everyone so it not to have a locking system to access.

Next steps

Invigorated from their discussions the team will finalise the design and develop a timeline for construction. As Libby is a keen budding engineer, showing enthusiasm for both the construction and electrical parts of the design, the university plan to have her along to assist with part of the construction and soldering of the electrical components.

They will also reach out to Social Responsibility and Sustainability team at the University of Edinburgh to discuss working with homeless charities to ensure that they are considering all aspects of rough-sleeping, an aspect Libby is also interested in being involved in.

We are looking forward to receiving the next update from the ProtoTeam.