Designing with pioneering tech firm Wondrwall
Thursday 11 January 2018
SALFORD is enhancing its growing reputation for manufacturing, design and engineering with a link up with pioneering tech firm Wondrwall.
The company, based in Manchester (with a name like that!) are the people behind a new integrated system to turn your home into a smart one.
Wondrwall offer a complete system which can replace all the light switches in your house, your smoke alarms, your burglar alarms and thermostat.
But to make it look as cool as it sounds, the firm’s CEO Daniel Burton is recruiting BA (Hons) Design undergraduates from the University of Salford.
Industry collaboration
Daniel was drawn to Salford by our Maker Space - a new manufacturing hub which promotes university-industry collaborations – and is challenging Salford to come up with a new design concept for his intelligent lighting system smart box.
Students have been tasked with giving their smart boxes, which appear in all Wondrwall-integrated rooms, a new look, whether that be with increased colour personalisation or additional functionality (a mobile phone charging light switch anyone?)
“We have no preconceptions of what it should look like,” Daniel told students on the BA (Hons) Interior Design programme. “You can be as creative as you’d like – we are open to a different vision.”
Lecturer Matthew Morriss added: “As millennials you can advise what you want to see from this technology. It will be interesting to see what you want.”
Salford is different
Students have two weeks to design and create a prototype, before proposing their idea to the Wondrwall team in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch. They’ll have full use of our Maker Space at their disposal and can work with the team to find the perfect materials for their designs.
“The fact we can offer students this type of real-life opportunity is what makes Salford different,” said Dr Maria Stukoff, Director of the Maker Space.
“Wondrwall is a fantastic local start-up which has gained great momentum lately. We’re all excited to see what the students come back with – who knows, if one of the concepts really stands out it might even be rolled out by the company.”
Stay tuned as we'll be following up on what the students came up with in a few weeks.
3D printing
The Morson-sponsored Maker Space is equipped with high-tech laser cutters,computer-aided design and 3D printing facilities, and billed as a ‘factory-floor’ space for businesses, researchers and students to work together on industrial techniques and processes.
Follow the Maker Space on Twitter:@makeinsalford
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