All projects at ASU London integrate various engineering disciplines and address real-world challenges. The engineering principles learned in one project can be applied in different contexts throughout the programme. Here are some examples of the projects students have previously tackled with a range of industry partners.
To support ease of navigation, some students opted to design accessories that would enable directions to be communicated through touch. For instance, Uzair designed handlebars that inform users whether to turn left or right through vibrations under each hand.
To boost security for locked bikes, Anjali designed a low-energy Bluetooth tracking device allowing users to locate their stolen bike.
As cycle accidents can often be caused by punctures, Caelan designed airless tyres as a preventative measure. Giacomo meanwhile developed a prototype of an airbag to expand from the box situated on the handlebars when triggered.
User-centred design highlights the important role engineers play in designing with human needs in mind, and how this informs product form, function and optimisation. In this project, students explored this process in collaboration with industry partner SmartyPlants, who have developed a tool to help people take care of their indoor plants better. Their product is a sensor that can be placed in soil to monitor the key conditions of the plant and surrounding environment, providing rich data on factors like light, humidity, nutrients, temperature and moisture.
Use Smarty Plants’ sensor data to create an accessory product that enhances plant care and boosts users’ emotional wellbeing. Follow a user-centred design process, starting with interviews and journey mapping to understand user interactions with indoor plants.
Using these insights to ideate and prototype innovative solutions that combine functionality with aesthetic and ergonomic appeal. Gather continuous user feedback to refine designs, and pitch the final design at a product showcase demo.
Working closely with local industry partners and community organisations, engage in systematic research, apply practical skills in workshops and consider ethical implications and sustainability to create solutions that address specific societal needs, such as enhancing urban planning accessibility or improving air quality awareness. Create a custom website to present your product.
Student group 1 worked with Sheffield Community Contact Tracers, on an air device designed to track environmental pollutants in real time and provide users with healthier travel options.
Mindful of the stresses associated with academic life, student group 2 worked in collaboration with British Land to design the TEDI Sensory Room—a space crafted to foster relaxation and mental clarity.
For student group 3, The Sensory Polytunnel, developed in collaboration with Dockland Settlements and Bizzie Bodies, transforms a simple polytunnel into a tech-enabled, interactive learning environment focused on STEM education
And to create a tangible way for visually impaired individuals to understand and contribute to the urban planning and development discussions, student group 4 worked with MP Smarter Travel and Cambridge Engineering Design Centre on a 3D modular map design.
Ecological design at ASU London is a way of looking at the impact our designs have on ecological systems. This includes our impacts on biodiversity, water and nutrient cycles, carbon emissions and other pollutants, noise and light levels, and the health, comfort and well-being of humans. More often than not, engineers operate within wider ecosystems, so it’s crucial for them to analyse the baseline conditions of the location – what exists already – and assess the potential impact that any changes might have.
The Woodfield Pavilion – a community centre based in South London – would like to install a self-reliant sustainable heating system. Assess the centre’s suitability and options for this, along with how much electrical energy would be required to power it, and well as how much it would cost to install and run.
Students analysed the baseline conditions at The Woodfield Pavilion to build a computer model of a ground source heat pump (GSHP). This involved exploring the site to gather data for their sketches and site plans, including boundaries, surfaces, and environmental systems. They also downloaded temperature and humidity data for analysis and investigated the plant room to understand the building’s heating system and space usage.
Students also provided this energy consumption data to CREW Energy to support their grant application to help finance a heat pump at the Pavilion, demonstrating the tangible impact of their work.
The project concluded with an event at the site where they screened videos that explained their proposals to stakeholders from the charity.
