Creative Sparks
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Hugo Wilson
With an interest in Design and Technology and electronics from a young age I always had projects on the go, but it was the summer holiday after my GCSE year that I really got my teeth into some bigger projects. With the help of a friend we designed and manufactured a full scale electro-pneumatic paintball gun turret capable of seating one person. The project was intended as a bit of fun and taught me an awful lot from MIG welding to PIC micro controller programming. Once completed we were at a little bit of a loss as to what to do with it. We soon found this was not an issue as we promptly sold it for a profit to the London Paintball Centre where it is still used today.
My senior school offered me a job during my gap year as a design technology technician. The role began to include a small teaching role and by the end of that year they offered a full teaching position which I turned down to pursue my real ambition, a career in Industrial Design. I am now studying a MEng (hons) course in Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Nottingham.
In the summer holiday after my first year at Nottingham I embarked on my second large project, this time alone. I spent 14 weeks over the summer building a sports car from the chassis up, using the engine and transmission from a Ford Sierra but fabricating the rest from scratch. I completed the vehicle itself in the Easter of this year and have spent the last few months tackling the legal obstacles. The car is now on the road. My tutor at the University of Nottingham nominated me for the Creative Sparks award based on my university project work.
I am using the grant to investigate the viability of Augmented Reality data representation in an array of applications. I chose the project due to its up and coming popularity and development in the consumer market, and the wealth of potential it offers to such a wide variety of users. It will also offer me the chance to learn a host of new skills especially in the field of computer program development, an area in which I am eager to advance my skills.
Ignite! has offered me a great opportunity and I can’t wait to embark on this latest project!
