Spring Startup and Freelance Awards – Inspired Engineer

Project:

EzCool is a closed, wrist-mounted liquid cooling system designed to lower body temperature. It works by drawing heat from the radial artery and transferring it into a highly heat-conductive liquid, such as NOVEC 7500. This heated liquid is then circulated and re-cooled using a Peltier element. This system is versatile and could also be reversed to heat a person's body, however, the main goal of the product is to cool. 

The EzCool product would be targeted at the elderly, women going through menopause, and individuals prone to heat exhaustion. However, it could benefit anyone in their day to day routine. The largest aim of the Product is to mitigate the harm of heatwaves, which can be fatal to the elderly. The team say it will be particularly useful in low-income countries and regions without widespread air conditioning. In addition to addressing more serious health concerns, EzCool could also help with more casual issues, like excessive sweating, benefiting a wide range of people. 

Project:

We will be entering our hybrid rocket engine, BOWSER is a hybrid rocket engine entering the Race 2 Space 2025 competition. It will be Wales’s first student-built rocket engine, fully developed and manufactured in-house. 

The UK is actively working towards reacquiring space launch capabilities – evidenced by new-space companies such as Orbex and SaxaVord Spaceport. However, Wales – despite Cardiff’s role as a leading centre of innovation and development, currently has no presence in the space sector. The team's goal is to change that, positioning Cardiff University as a key player in rocketry education and research. There is a dwindling number of sixth form students going on to study physics and engineering in Wales, so the team aim to establish its name to inspire students to pursue those subjects at Cardiff. 

Project:

VisiShave aims to be the ultimate solution for precision shaving. The team's dual-chamber design preserves a temporary hair-highlighting dye away from a shaving gel, activating only when dispensed. This innovative formula tints hair — not skin — making every strand visible for a flawless, effortless shave with unmatched accuracy and a smoother, cleaner finish. 

Shaving can often be an imprecise and frustrating process, leading to missed spots, uneven results, and unnecessary irritation. One of the biggest challenges is the difficulty in clearly identifying all hair strands, especially for individuals with lighter or finer hair. Traditional shaving creams provide lubrication but do not enhance visibility, making it easy to overlook certain areas all over the body. This leads to multiple passes with the razor, increasing the risk of razor burns, cuts, and skin irritation. Additionally, many people struggle with shaping and defining their beard, moustache, or sideburns due to poor visibility of the hair before shaving.  

The team's innovation solves these problems by introducing a temporary hair-highlighting dye within the shaving cream, designed to tint the hair but not the skin. This allows users to see every strand clearly, ensuring a cleaner, more even shave with minimal effort. The dual-chamber packaging keeps the dye and shaving gel separate until dispensed, maintaining product longevity and effectiveness. By eliminating guesswork and reducing the need for repeated strokes, this innovation enhances shaving precision, minimises irritation, and ensures a smoother, more efficient grooming experience.