Industrial designer Stuart Smith (23) with his
solar-powered lawn mower model which is in the national
finals for the James Dyson Award, in his Dunedin flat
yesterday. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
It is small, has green highlights and mulches while it
mows - Stuart Smith hopes his solar-powered lawnmower will be
his ticket to the United Kingdom.
The Wanaka-raised, Massey University industrial design
graduate, is one of three finalists in the James Dyson Award,
an annual competition which recognises emerging designers
with innovative solutions to everyday problems.
He designed the lawn mower, Dash, during his final year at
Massey and said the initial inspiration came from wanting to
reduce the air pollution traditional lawn mowers contributed
- up to 5% per year in the US.
"I thought that was quite a lot for something we use so
infrequently," he said.
The domestic mower, designed for use in smaller urban
properties, was powered by solar panels and a rechargeable
battery.
It could be charged in four hours, with a 45-minute running
time, and included an internal mulching system to turn
clippings into lawn fertiliser.
Head judge and Designers Institute of New Zealand
professional member David Lovegrove, said it was a "well
presented and researched concept" and he was pleased to see
sustainability had been considered.
The James Dyson Award was "highly regarded" within the
industry and it provided "good exposure", Mr Smith said.
Joining him in the national final were Nicholas Couch, of
Auckland, who designed a recyclable, bare-foot running shoe,
and Cameron Lightfoot, of Auckland, who designed a prosthetic
leg which used magnets to provide amputees greater
flexibility and a more comfortable walking experience.
While his selection out of 30 entries was "a bit out of the
blue", Mr Smith was looking forward to making the most of his
trip to Auckland for final judging and announcement of the
winner tomorrow.
The winner will travel to the UK to visit Dyson and meet
London's top product and design companies.
Also, they will earn a $3000 cash prize for travel, plus a
fee package from the Intellectual Property Office of NZ,
$3000 of legal fees from Farry.Co, and a Dyson vacuum
cleaner.
The three national finalists, along with seven other New
Zealand entries, will be judged online for the international
competition, the winner of which will receive, with their
university, a total prize fund of 20,000 ($NZ39,750).
ellie.constantine@odt.co.nz
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.