On 25th June a group of students from years 7 to 12 took part in the James Dyson Foundation Engineering Challenge to inspire a future generation of engineers and designers using the Dyson Engineering Box.
In the first activity, which was interactive, we looked at different engineers and investigated their roles and what inspired them to work at Dyson. We then collectively disassembled and reassembled a Dyson model DC39 vacuum cleaner, reducing it to its component parts to discover the surprisingly modern technology that it relies upon.
Again working in groups, we disassembled and reassembled the turbine heads of the Dyson DC39. The first accessory we took apart was the standard turbine head, which contained many complex mechanisms so the blades can pick up dust effectively. After this we worked individually to disassemble the redesigned Dyson Tangle-Free turbine heads, which contain counter rotating blades to make sure hair does not get caught in the turbine head.
Our groups were then given a design brief to design a product that could help secondary school students through the use of the acronym ACCESS FM (which stands for aesthetics, cost, customer, environment, safety, size, function and material) and with that we designed our first prototypes.
At the end of the day, the groups shared their prototypes with the rest of the class. One student designed a product that would increase the safety of secondary school students walking or cycling home or to school, and one group designed a backpack that included a hinge system to reduce impact upon falling or getting hit.
Overall, it was an exhilarating day that allowed us to learn about the roles of different engineers and processes that go into designing and building a product such as a Dyson DC39.
James Greening and Liviru Asweddume Gedara
Year 9
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