A student from Kings College London has been shortlisted in a nationwide award, Engineering For Access, to find the next greatest innovation in disability products. King’s Careers & Employability congratulate Krisian on his innovative entry!
Krisian Chhatralia, 22, an undergraduate Engineering student at Kings College London, entered the award with ‘smart glasses’ for the blind – a device which helps the visually impaired to navigate and interact more easily with the world around them. You can read more about his design here.
The annual award, run by personal injury specialists Claims.co.uk and product innovation specialists Bang Creations, tasked undergraduate engineers from all disciplines across the country with creating a product designed to aid people living with a disability. Students were able to choose the disability they wanted to design for, with other entries tackling epilepsy and deafness. In return, they get the chance of winning £5,000 towards the cost of getting their product made.
Alongside nine other shortlisted, Krisian Chhatralia’s entry was picked as a viable frontrunner.
Krisian, from Oxford, said that he was inspired to improve navigation and safety for the visually impaired after getting to know a blind man at his university gym:
“I made acquaintances with a blind man at my university gym at the start of my third year. I told him I obtained a black belt in karate and he asked me if I could teach him how to defend himself as it might be a useful skill in a time of need. Further into the conversation, I asked if he would like to meet me at another location. He agreed, however, he told me he needed to learn the route in order to meet me there in the future.”
“I then began to think about safety for the blind and how they must feel taking out their phone and other possessions in public as well as how to improve navigation.”
King’s Careers take: Entering competitions like Engineering for Access is a great way to challenge yourself and develop your knowledge, attributes, skills and experiences further in the field that you’re interested in.
When asked how he felt about being shortlisted in Engineering for Access, Krisian replied:
“I feel excited to have the opportunity to work on a new project! I have not found a similar creation to my idea as of yet, and I would like the chance to push myself to create a product.”
The winner of Engineering for Access will be announced on the 10th June and will be judged on a number of criteria, with innovation and cost efficiency as just two. You can find more details about Krisian’s entry design at https://www.claims.co.uk/engineering-for-access/engineering-for-access-2020-shortlist-krisian-chhatralia