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Engineering Education, Resources and Standards
News Release from: Coventry University
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 29 October 2004
IED prize for graduate designer
A wind-up toothbrush designed especially for children has helped Coventry University graduate Andrew Mitchell win the runner-up prize at the Institution of Engineering Designers Midlands competition.
A wind-up toothbrush designed especially for children has helped Coventry University graduate Andrew Mitchell win the runner-up prize at the Institution of Engineering Designers Midlands competition and secure himself a job with leading engineering design company, Dyson Mitchell, 22, from Hastings has designed an innovative toothbrush, which makes dental care more effective and more fun for young children with a wind-up feature, 3D brush and a measured toothpaste dispenser
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 28 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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His design, which formed part of his final-year project on the industrial product design degree, was based on extensive research with dentists and dental hygienists and the valuable and honest opinions of his seven-year old brother.
Mitchell was selected to present his design at the regional finals by tutors at Coventry University's School of Engineering.
The panel of judges from the Institution of Engineering Designers were impressed with Mitchell's design and overall presentation and awarded him the GBP 50 cash prize as runner-up.
Scouts from Dyson spotted Mitchell's design at the university's annual design degree show in June and offered him one of nine vacancies for graduate engineering designers at its offices in Wiltshire.
Mitchell said: "My design was based upon the problems that children have with dental care".
"Parents are recommended by dentists to help with their child's dental routine until the age of eight or nine when they are capable of brushing alone, but the majority do not".
Mitchell researched children's toys to come up with the concept of a wind-up toothbrush to help the child interact with the activity.
Five complete winds of the brush are enough to power the spring within and provide enough power to become an effective cleaning aid when brushing.
The "self-powered" nature of the brush means that no batteries are required and unlike some electric toothbrushes this design can be submerged in water.
The design also features a "3-dimensional brush head" that is able to clean both top and bottom chewing surfaces at the same time.
The design also incorporates a paste dispenser.
A button is simply depressed fully to dispense the pea-sized amount of paste required.
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