DESIGN
Design can be viewed as the transformation of an existing state to a preferred state. We can have a design, or we can do design. Both can involve meaning and beauty and be worthwhile.
AIRCRAFT DESIGN
Future aircraft cabins and design thinking.
Optimisation vs. win-win scenarios. Journal of Propulsion and Power Research. (2013)
CHEMICAL LOOPING
An alternative to conventional combustion, chemical looping involves the use of plant and a carrier species to enable separation of combustion and reduction.
This series of projects resulted in advanced designs and an indication of feasibility for this advanced energy production technology.
“Producing Hydrogen and Power using Chemical Looping Combustion and Water-Gas Shift.” Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 132
McGlashan, N.R., Childs, P.R.N., Heyes, A.L. and Marquis, A.J.
ARSENIC REMOVAL JUG
A collaboration project with Dominik Weiss, Ramon Compte Villa and colleagues on a series of innovations for removing or reducing arsenic in drinking water.
Filter & Jug Design:
Figure (a): Filter
Figure (b): Jug Assembly
Figure (c): Jug Components
LIGHTWEIGHTING
Exploring new manufacturing methods combined in combination with ever improving energy storage for new aircraft morphologies and paradigms.
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
Development and application of functional analysis to enable new design and business insights.
“Using functional analysis diagrams to improve product reliability and cost” Michalakoudis, I., Childs, P., Aurisicchio, M., and Harding, J. Advances in Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 8, pp. 1-11, 2017.
TOTAL DESIGN
Stuart Pugh’s total design model. This industrially inspired model emerged in the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
I felt it needed updating to take account of the motivation for a project or venture, new approaches to modelling, and generalisation to address a wider set of design applications.
Childs, P.R.N. Mechanical Design Engineering Handbook, 2nd Edition. Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, 2019.
EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Exploring the design of experiences.
“Positive and negative contamination in user interaction” Baxter, W., Aurisicchio, M., Mugge, R., and Childs, P.R.N. ICED 2017. Best Paper.
HUMANOIDS
Robotics work includes end-effecters, bipeds, vision and advanced control.
ENTERPRISE BY DESIGN
Learning how to design enterprises.
IMPERIAL COLLEGE ADVANCED HACKSPACE (ICAH)
Impact acceleration grant to set up the ICAH. The ICAH is a unique community of over 2000 like-minded makers, hackers, inventors and entrepreneurs across the University.
ICAH is free to all college members.
RETROFIT ENERGY RESEARCH PROJECTS
Much of my recent work has pulled together my experience and interests in retrofit and sustainability with projects on PVT, passive-active ventilation and decision making in the building industry.
Q-BOT
A robotic device that could insulate suspended timber floors without the disruption and expense of traditional methods.
· Best Start-up at the Invention and Entrepreneurship in Robotics Awards (05/2015)
· CIBSE Building Performance - Product and Innovation Awards 2018
· Ashden Sustainable Cities Award (06/2018)
BLADE BUG
As the offshore wind industry enters a rapid phase of growth, the challenges to keeping turbines spinning and optimised grow with it.
BladeBUG develops advanced robots to assist technicians in the inspection and repair of turbine blades, without the need for rope access.