Waterevolution project completed...

Our client, Waterevolution engaged with us to develop their design concept of a sustainable household system that would lower utility costs and be kind to the environment. The system involves the use of wastewater from the shower and bath to flush the household toilets and a heat recovery system that used the warmth from the wastewater to heat further hot water.

The initial brief was to design the system for manufacture. We challenged this and produced a system that is cost effective, streamlined, simplified and ready for manufacture.

We are pleased to announce, the project has been completed and our client is very happy with the result.

'Origin took Waterevolution’s concept for a domestic heat and grey-water recycling unit and created a product. The unit they developed for us was smaller, lighter, more ‘intelligent’ and cost less than one fifth of the prototype design that we had arrived with. Their focused but pragmatic approach was instrumental in achieving the result. They helped us to realise what we actually wanted and what the market would buy. They challenged us even when it would have been easy to avoid the argument and the result is infinitely better for their rigour. Not only were the team impressive for their skills and approach but they were fun to work with and tireless in their enthusiasm to ‘get it right’. A very valuable and enjoyable process which we would happily repeat...'

Stephen Bates, CEO, Waterevolution

A new year placement joins Origin

We are pleased to welcome Hanna Petts who has joined Origin on her placement year from Loughborough University.

Hanna is studying Industrial Design and Technology and has joined Origin to further her knowledge and experience. In particular she is looking to gain a better understanding of the design process from concept to realisation, and working directly with suppliers and customers.

Welcome aboard!

A new Product Designer joins the team

We are pleased to announce that Steve McGonigal has joined the Origin team!

Steve specialises in creative product design, user centered design, product graphics and design for manufacture.  Steve brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience having worked for several years as a product design consultant and prior to this, he headed up the Industrial Design team at Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Ltd. Further to this Steve also lectures in Industrial and Product Design at the University of Hertfordshire.

Welcome aboard!

Origin’s Adam Stops is published internationally

While in his previous position as a post-doctoral researcher at iMBE, University of Leeds, Adam developed a new technique to model human cartilage.  The work has recently been published in a top international journal.  Simply, the work was interested in understanding how the two constituents of cartilage, the porous, foam-like collagen structure and the interstitial fluid that flows between the collagen structure, interact to provide time-dependent properties. 

Understanding this interaction has been an important pursuit for researchers for over 60 years, as it is this interaction that defines how well our joints work, how they degrade and degenerate, and ultimately, how likely we are to develop osteoarthritis.  Adam’s work developed an alternative technique to measure and represent this important interaction, and subsequently, demonstrated how this technique could advance current whole-body computer simulations. 

For the full article please visit Science Direct

Another year, another MEDTEC

 For the 4^th year in a row Origin exhibited at MEDTEC UK 2012, and over the two days we met some great visitors, from fantastic opportunities to new suppliers. Further to this a number of our clients and current suppliers dropped by, and we also got the chance to re-connect with old contacts. 

Thank you to everyone who came and visited us, it was a really good show. 

Origin hits the kart track

On a late Friday afternoon just outside of Cambridge, in a tranquil village, the peace and quiet was swept away by the Origin team who were each let loose behind the wheel of a kart!

Any friendships were brushed aside, and our polite bunch turned into raging bulls!

Alright, I lie; it was more like the Wacky Races...

With an initial 10 lap qualifying we had our grid set,   Adam Stops taking pole position.

A cleanish start we all peeled away from the grid and started a 30 lap race. The quality of driving for a karting circuit would have suited banger racing better and dastardly deeds were indeed part of the planned tactics by certain members of the team. However I am pleased to report no-one achieved received a black flag, and the race did continue to the full laps. Finally Tom Kelsey took the chequered flag and the rest of us limped home with bruised egos.

1st Tom Kelsey, 2nd Adam Stops, 3rd Allen Pearson

One week to go till MEDTEC UK

There is just one week left till MEDTEC UK 2012 gets underway, and if you are still undecided on attending, then have a look at the show review Eureka magazine has provided in their May 2012 edition.

MEDTEC is one of the medical sectors key calendar events, and for the 4th year in a row we will be there exhibiting, to showcase our capabilities in innovation, expertise, and state of the art technology.  Come and see us at our stand – 1604 – we look forward to seeing you there.  

23-24 May, Hall 9, NEC, Birmingham