Thales Belfast creating the I can Swing prototype
Thales UK are a national partner for our Leaders Award competition which asks pupils aged 3-19 the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. This year Thales UK will be creating 6 prototypes across 5 of their UK sites, in total turning 6 pupils’ ideas submitted to our Leaders Award competition into a working prototypes over the 2024/2025 academic year.
Pupil designer, Malachy, will see his engineering idea ‘I can Swing’ turned into a reality by Thales Belfast. His idea is a swing specifically designed for individuals with reduced mobility or wheelchair users, was selected because the pupil identified a significant gap in the market.
Introduction to the ProtoTeam
The Thales Belfast prototeam consists of six members from the Thales Early Careers program, each bringing different skill sets to the table:
- Will Primrose (Bids and Projects Graduate)
- Jay Gibson (Engineering Apprentice)
- Zahra Syed (Software Graduate)
- Rory Squire (Engineering Apprentice)
- Joe Castle (Software Graduate)
- Scott McGilton (Engineering Apprentice)
With expertise in areas such as software design, 3D printing, CAD modelling, and project planning, the team collaborated to review the submission, considering several factors including:
- Design complexity
- Parts required
- Budget
- Competitors
- Manufacturing Timeframe
Why did they choose this idea to build?
The “I Can Swing,” a swing specifically designed for individuals with reduced mobility or wheelchair users, was selected because the pupil identified a significant gap in the market. Currently, there is no swing specifically designed for this purpose. During their market research, the team found only swings that were either manually operated or those that simply rocked back and forth, highlighting the innovation and necessity of the “I Can Swing.”
Starting the prototype – planning
The primary challenge for the team was to transform the design into a tangible product within the given timeframe. After careful deliberation, it was decided to proceed with creating a tabletop model of the “I Can Swing” design. A full-scale model was deemed too large and impractical to produce within the timeframe, and it would also present logistical challenges for transportation and display.
Currently, the team is in the design phase, meticulously considering all the key requirements and working on converting these into a fully functional tabletop prototype.
Next steps
The group looks forward to meeting the pupil soon to discuss their design and to learn more about the backstory behind this amazing and thoughtful concept!
We are looking forward to the next update!