_edited.png)
Field Ready's Technical Lead, Brynmor John, recently presented Field Ready's work alongside UKAID in sunny Scotland at the Royal Highland Show 2019. We asked Bryn some questions:
What did you get up to in Scotland?
I connected with lots of interesting people, mainly the general public but also DFID (UKAid) staff members, UK military, Edinburgh University students and some sheep, in the finest tradition of agricultural shows in the UK.
I mainly demonstrated the 3D printer and heavy lifting airbags, as well as talking about our other exciting work from around the world.
What equipment did you take?
- 3D printer (UP Mini) & ABS filament - for a live demonstration of printing in the field.
- Set of Rescue Tech airbags, control box, hoses and foot pump - for live demonstration of the heavy lifting airbag at low pressure.
- Range of 3DP samples - these were all designs created over the years by Field Ready teams around the world.
- Soap samples - 3D prints encased in soaps - these were originally made in Jordan for increasing uptake of handwashing in children.
- Tablet and laptop to display Field Ready videos.
- Banners, business cards, Airbag manual/booklet.
- Tools.
What was most popular with the crowd?
Soaps with 3D printed toys in, by far! People loved hearing about the incredible 200% improvement in handwashing uptake by children in refugee camps by using these soaps and the design and production approach behind the soaps.
Tell me more about the highland show, it sounds very interesting.
Highland Show is a countryside/farming festival. There are a lot of livestock pens, paddocks, show arenas for competitions as well as food, clothes and craft stalls.
I was in the UK government tent with DFID, UK Aid, Companies House, Edinburgh University & UK Research and Innovation (showcasing their supercomputer). The UK government wanted Field Ready in their tent because of the innovative work that we undertook together under the Frontier Technologies Livestreaming project in Nepal focused on 3D printing.
Another partner in the tent, Mercy Corps & University of Bradford, have an interesting project using VR to improve the emotional wellbeing of Syrian refugees in Jordan. They used 3D scanning to archive some Syrian artifacts and heritage. I put them in contact with Ram Chandra Thapa, our former Design and Production Engineer in Nepal, because I know it’s something he is interested in.
Here's a link to this project: https://www.mercycorps.org.uk/press-room/releases/how-virtual-reality-helps-refugees
DFID asked me to present our work, particularly the 3D printer. The aim is to engage with the public with DFID and the work they do.
This was a fantastic event with around 1000 visitors to our stall. The British public were truly supportive of our work, which shows the great value of presenting our efforts to diverse audiences, it is also a fantastic way of developing new connections and new opportunities. I am looking forward to future events with UK AID.