| Erm... hello Professor, I'm John Wishart. |
| I'm working on my entry for the Global Design Competition. |
| My tutor said you might be able to help me with it. |
| Ah, yes, I got a copy of your drawings. |
| Come in and tell me about it. |
| What sort of competition is it? |
| Well, it's an international design competition |
| and we have to come up with a new design for a typical domestic kitchen appliance. |
| I see, and are there any special conditions? Does it have to save energy for example? |
| Actually that was the focus in last year's competition. |
| This year's different. |
| We have to adopt an innovative approach to existing technology, |
| using it in a way that hasn't been thought of before. |
| I see, that sounds tricky. |
| And what kitchen appliance have you chosen? |
| Well, I decided to choose the dishwasher. |
| Interesting, what made you choose that? |
| Well, they're an everyday kitchen appliance in most Australian houses |
| but they're all pretty boring and almost identical to each other. |
| I think some people will be prepared to pay a little extra for something that looks different. |
| That's a nice idea. |
| I see you've called your design 'the Rockpool'; why is that? |
| Basically because it looks like the rock pools you find on a beach. |
| The top is made of glass so that you can look down into it. |
| And there's a stone at the bottom. |
| Is that just for decoration? |
| Actually it does have a function. |
| Instead of pushing a button, you turn the stone. |
| So it's really just a novel way of starting the dishwasher. |
| That's right. |
| It's a really nice design, but what makes it innovative? |
| Well, I decided to make a dishwasher that uses carbon dioxide. |
| In place of water and detergent? |
| How will you manage that? |
| The idea is to pressurize the carbon dioxide so that it becomes a liquid. |
| The fluid is then released into the dishwasher where it cleans the dishes all by itself. |
| Sounds like a brilliant idea! |
| Your system will totally do away with the need for strong detergents. |
| So what happens once the dishes are clean? |
| Well, to allow them to dry, |
| the liquid carbon dioxide and the waste materials all go to an area called the holding chamber. |
| That's where the liquid is depressurised and so it reverts to a gas. |
| Then the oil and grease are separated out and sent to the waste system. |
| It sounds like you've thought it all out very thoroughly. |
| So, what happens to the carbon dioxide once the process is complete? |
| Not wasted I hope. |
| Actually, that's where the real savings are made. |
| The carbon dioxide is sent back to the cylinder and can be used again and again. |
| What a terrific idea. |
| Do you think it will ever be built? |
| Probably not, but that's OK. |
| Well, I'm sure a lot of positive things will come out of your design. |
| Now, you seem to have thought about everything so what exactly did you need me to help you with? |
| Well, my design has made it to the final stage of the competition |
| and, in a few months' time. I have to give a presentation, |
| and that's the part I was hoping you could help me with. |
| Right, well that should be easy enough. |
| What have you managed to do so far? |
| Well, I've got detailed drawings to show how it will work |
| and I've also written a 500-word paper on it. |
| I see. |
| Well, if you want to stand a good chance of winning you really need a model of the machine. |
| Yes, I thought I might but I'm having a few problems. |
| What is the main difficulty so far? |
| Let me guess - is it the materials? |
| Yes. |
| I want it to look professional but everything that's top quality is also very expensive. |
| Look, projects like this are very important to us. |
| They really help lift our profile. |
| So why don't you talk to the university about a grant? |
| I can help you fill out the application forms if you like. |
| That would be great. |
| You'd better show me this paper you've written as well. |
| For a global competition such as this |
| you need to make sure the technical details you've given are accurate and thorough. |
| Oh, that would be a great help. |
| Is there anything else I can do? |
| Well, I'm really... |