Graphic Communications Student Wins the Innovation Award 2009
15th December 2009
Adam Butler, a third year student studying a BA in graphic communications at Bath Spa University’s School of Art & Design has won this year’s Innovation Award for his concept to develop a machine vision software kit. Adam’s prize is a package worth £10,000, which includes seed-corn funding for prototype development as well as expert business advice, guidance and mentoring from an industry expert in this field.
Adam will start his project in the New Year and will pilot the concept on pool tables. This will convert them into interactive games tables that will encourage people to play by giving the player guidelines for their shots that can be used for training and as a handicap. The installation also has commercial potential through being used for advertising projections. Once tested and refined, Adam’s concept has potential for use beyond the entertainment arena and is likely to be of great interest to industry. For example, this type of machine visioning could be applied to traffic management flow dynamics.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Frank Morgan, presented the award at a gala event in the Michael Tippett Centre on the University’s Newton Park campus on Thursday 10 December.
Adam Butler receives award from Vice Chancellor
Runner-up is Amanda Goode, a member of staff in the University’s Fashion, Textiles and 3D Design Department. Amanda wins a package of support worth £4,000 to develop her ‘New from Old: re-working the unwanted to produce the ‘must have’ concept. Using discarded artefacts and materials, Amanda disassembles and combines them to rework them with textile technology into her own designs for the interiors market.
Bath Spa University’s annual innovation awards competition received 24 entries this year from students and staff across the University with particularly strong representation from Commercial Music students. Innovation concepts ranged from software development to creative writing and music therapies for healthcare benefits and gadgets for cycling enthusiasts.
For reference
This innovation award was funded by the Knowledge Escalator Project, which is part financed by the European Union’s ERDF Competitiveness and Employment Programme 2007-13 securing £1,833,000 of ERDF investment through the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA).
ERDF
SWRDA
