Engineering consultancy Frazer-Nash has teamed up with sixth form students from Beacon Community College in East Sussex to design and manufacture a mechanical kayak stroke simulator, which could help improve the performance of the UK’s sprint kayaking athletes.

The project was delivered as part of the Engineering Education Scheme (EES), a project that involves teams made up of sixth form students working with professional engineers from local companies to find solutions to real scientific and engineering problems.  The scheme aims to give the students an experience of real engineering and to develop key skills, such as teamwork, communication, presentation, project and time management.

Frazer-Nash, having worked closely with UK Sport, set the team the unique engineering challenge of developing a kayak stroke simulator that would enable different paddle designs and stroke techniques to be compared in a controlled environment.

The team was supported by Frazer-Nash senior engineer James Horton who provided expert guidance and advice to the team throughout the project. James attended all EES events with the team during a six month period, including a residential course at Brighton University.  He was on hand to offer expert engineering insight and guidance to help the team develop a viable prototype.

The team started by researching the sport and the different techniques involved in Olympic sprint kayaking. They came up with a range of design concepts, which they developed in to a suitable final design, before manufacturing a prototype.

The team presented their findings at a 'Celebration and Assessment Day' at Brighton University and submitted a final project report which was reviewed by a panel of engineering assessors. The assessors praised the team for their achievements on a particularly challenging project.

James Horton of Frazer-Nash commented on the project: "We were delighted to have played a part in this hugely rewarding programme. The students really embraced the challenge we set them and I hope they gained some real insight into what it is like to work in professional engineering. At Frazer-Nash we're committed to investing in the young scientists and engineers of the future, which is why we are proud to have been associated with such an initiative."