NEWS | ENGINEERING GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM MAKES IT TO THE FINAL OF THE ENGINEERS IN BUSINESS 2022 INNOVATION COMPETITION

Twenty-two-year-old Ben Keeble, an Engineering student from the University of Nottingham, has secured a place in the final of the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions innovation competition, which will be hosted by TV presenter Rob Bell at the Royal Academy of Engineering on 28 October 2022.

Ben, who invented Mobiliaid, a portable, battery-powered seat raiser for the elderly and people with disabilities, will be pitching his innovation against nine other teams of student and graduate innovators in the national final. A sum of £15,000 is up for grabs, providing vital seed money to help the winners develop their innovation. The winners will also receive mentoring from business leaders who are members of the Sainsbury Management Fellows (SMF) network, plus CV packages from PurpleCV and entrepreneurial books from Cambridge University Press.

The competition is organised by the registered charity, Engineers in Business Fellowship which champions business education for engineers and supports universities by giving them grants to award prizes to engineering students who develop ideas that can make a positive impact on society. The grants enable universities to inspire more engineering and technology students to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship, skills that they take into their careers.

Mobilaid acts as a mobile seat raiser, lifting the person from a seated position or gently lowering them from standing, and can also rotate, if used in a car for example. The product is battery powered, can easily be carried via the integral handle in the cover and provides a stable base even on soft seating. By using this product, someone with sitting and standing difficulties, is able to travel outside their adapted home to visit friends and family.

Explaining the concept behind Mobiliaid, founder and CEO, Ben said, “I had the idea when my grandfather was unable to visit us due to his difficulties getting out of the car, and then sitting down and getting up from the chair in our house. Although he uses a seat raiser at home, there was nothing suitable that he could use outside his home which affected his social life. This had a detrimental effect on both his mental and physical health, causing him to feel isolated and lonely, so I decided to try to solve the problem.

“Mobiliaid can be carried from place to place and can be quickly set up on most types of seating. It acts as a mobile seat raiser, lifting the person from a seated position or gently lowering them from standing. The product is battery powered, can easily be carried via the integral handle in the cover and provides a stable base even on soft seating.

“By using Mobiliaid, someone with sitting and standing difficulties can travel outside their adapted home to visit family and friends. This increased ability to socialise, reduces mental and physical health problems and improves their quality of life. I’m pleased to say that we are currently going through final prototyping of the product.”

The Engineers in Business competition is designed to inspire engineers to study business and innovation, which Ben feels is vital for innovations that change the world. Ben said, “It’s important for engineering students to be taught business skills because business and innovation require a completely different mindset to the one required for engineering.”

The dragons’ den style competition will be compered by TV presenter, Rob Bell. Competing against nine other teams, Peter Gillan will have six minutes to convince the judges, through his presentation and Q&A session, that his team should be crowned a Champion of Champions and take home a cash prize. Amongst other criteria, the judges will be assessing the ease of use and benefits of Mobiliaid to the user.

The members of the judging panel are:

• SMF Caroline Cake, Entrepreneur in Residence at Oxford Science Enterprises

• Dr Terri Holloway, Ingenuity Lab Manager, Entrepreneur in Residence, University of Nottingham

• SMF Kwok Ng, Strategy Programme Manager, The Crown Estate

• SMF Chris Shelley, Chief Executive Officer, SolarBotanic Trees

Commenting on reaching the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions Final, Ben said, “Being involved in the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions Competition, and the invaluable feedback and advice I am receiving, will help ensure that Mobiliaid reaches market at the earliest opportunity.”

Ben will be competing for an Engineers in Business Champion of Champions title against nine other teams from Imperial College London, University of Birmingham (two finalists), University of Oxford, University of Southampton (two finalists), Lancaster University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Greenwich.