THE ALEX MOULTON AWARD 2018

4 Dec

As part of his mission to inspire young engineers and designers, Alex Moulton, together with the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED), created the Alex Moulton Award. Inaugurated in 2009, the Alex Moulton Award is presented annually to an innovative and inspiring designer in recognition of their achievements. Previous winners include Apple designer Jonathan Ive and Raspberry Pi founder Pete Lomas.

The winner of the Alex Moulton Award for 2018 was Phil Eaglesham and the design team at the University of Sheffield for the ‘Victor’ wheelchair.

Phil Eaglesham is a Royal Marines Commando who contracted Q Fever (Helmand Fever) during active service in Afghanistan. As a result, he relies on wheelchairs and similar devices for his mobility. Phil has represented Great Britain in the Paralympic Games in Rio. As his condition deteriorated, his reliance on mobility devices has led him to try to create something more suitable for every user.

Phil has tried out numerous existing solutions and realised that none of them tackled everyday problems that he and other mobility device users experience on a daily basis. As a result, Phil and his team at the University of Sheffield have designed an elevating wheelchair - ‘Victor’ - designed to operate at social height, mount kerbs and steps and turn on the spot.

The ‘Victor’ chair wheel reduce the need for costly adaptations to kitchens and bathrooms, as well as socially assisting countless people. It is for this application of insight that Phil was presented with the Alex Moulton Award for 2018.

The presentation took place at the Institution of Engineering Designers’ Awards Lunch at Aerospace Bristol in Filton, the home of Concorde Alpha Foxtrot. This was a particularly appropriate venue - during the Second World War a young Alex Moulton worked on this site for the Bristol Aeroplane Company, first as a Fitter and later as Chief Assistant to Sir Roy Fedden on the Centaurus engine, the largest and most powerful of the Bristol radial engines.

Phil Eaglesham and Victor Mobility: https://www.victormobility.com/

Institution of Engineering Designers: https://www.institution-engineering-designers.org.uk/

Aerospace Bristol: http://aerospacebristol.org/