Third prize for Kettering student in national design competition

Answering the 2025 competition brief of Heath and Wellbeing, Nottingham Trent University product design student, Abbie Williams, impressed the judges with her creation, FlexiKnee Pro, a knee strengthening brace with resistance bands.

DIP is the longest running plastics design competition of its kind for university undergraduates in Europe, supported by The Worshipful Company of Horners, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and headline sponsored by global polymer manufacturer, Covestro.

At the award ceremony on Friday, Abbie was given a certificate and £500 and also wins a placement with a DIP sponsor.

Abbie said she had been inspired to create her product after developing tendonitis, and during physio, being advised on the implications and how proper prevention can help offset the possibility of osteoarthritis in the future – particularly in women, who her studies have shown, are more vulnerable to certain injuries and have a heightened risk of developing joint problems.

She said: “It’s a real honour to get this far in the competition and a privilege to have been able to talk to people and get industry feedback on my product. I’ve advanced my skills in manufacturing of plastics and this competition has inspired me to explore further my career options and consider all possibilities.”

Chairman of judges, Richard Brown, said: “Abbie designed her product to help strengthen the muscles around the knee joint whilst wearing the device, which has adjustable tension bands. This was a well-researched and designed concept answering all the demands of the brief.”

Commenting on this year’s finalists, he added: “The standard was so high that there were very fine margins between the final positions, and we would suggest that a number of products are good enough to be commercialised.”

The winner, Harry Wragg, of De Montfort University, designed CPR+Aid, a potentially life-saving product to help people conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), while the second placed student, Krzysztof Boroniec, TU Dublin, designed Nibbliee, a chewing device which allows users to exercise their jaw muscles, while also emitting a signal enabling the user to engage in digital games.

Highly commended awards go to:

• Romaine Crawford, Loughborough University, with Serenity a support device to help people relax and improve their mental health.It uses aromatherapy and light therapy to change an individual’s mind, mood and energy.
• Henry Follett, Brunel University, with CrosStick, which works as a normal walking stick, but when the user needs to stand up, it will expand and fold out to give two points of contact with the ground, offering more stability when standing.
• Michael MH Leung, Brunel University, with UE:1 Seat, an ergonomic rocking seat which serves as both a support system and a muscle activator, helping to ease movement and enhance comfort. It is designed to help people rehabilitating from back pain.