Adriana Portillo Reynoso

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University of Nottingham > Engineering > Departments > Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering > PDM Exhibitions > 2024 > MEng students > Adriana Portillo Reynoso

A storage unit accessible for children during car journeys.

I am a sociable and passionate soon to be graduate. I chose PDM since I knew that I wanted to be able to design products were interesting as well as functional. This course gave me the chance to use my creative side and apply this to make useable products in each project. I also made sure that in each product there was something personal about myself through the aesthetic. I’ve found working with people to provide insight on design has been the most rewarding learning process throughout this course. Through each project I had the great opportunity to widen my knowledge of the design of everyday things and getting the chance to make products more accessible. I became more aware of my surroundings and how things were made to execute my learning throughout the past four years.

It has been an amazing opportunity learning CAD throughout the years to bring my ideas into the physical world through rapid prototyping made available to PDM. It was another rewarding aspect of this course is to create functioning and scale prototypes. It allowed me to challenge myself into producing tangible work that I will be proud of looking back in the future. Over this course I’ve grown to appreciate designing with CAD and hope to come into a design engineering role.

In my free time I enjoy going to art museums, reading, seeing live music, and watching films.

Adriana Portillo Reynoso, MEng Product Design and Manufacture

LootLocker

The initial idea of the LootLocker was inspired by when I visiting my young niece, I noticed she had a challenging time keeping her things tidy during a car journey. Whenever she dropped something in the car, I would have to pick it up and she would become a distraction while driving. I realised that there were minimal products on the market that combined both car storage and accessibility for children. The solution I produced for my final project was Loot Locker. A storage unit accessible for children during car journeys. The unit includes a tray on each side, two 20,000 mAh batteries to charge devices, and dividers to keep items organised. This product is aimed at children four and up, to minimise distractions and provide a safer journey.

The unit is designed to carry all the necessary items for a car trip to keep a child or children entertained. To attach the unit, the nylon straps need to be wrapped around the back of the desired headrest. Then, the two straps need to be buckled together and secured appropriately. The bottom of the unit is made of rubber, which is designed to prevent it from slipping during car journeys.

Two trays provide a stable platform, enabling the user to enjoy activities such as reading, colouring or watching a film. The child can access the tray by pulling it out of its case and at the pivot point turn it to the flat position or where feels most comfortable. To put away the tray lift it from its horizontal position and then vertically and slide it down until it stops at the bottom of the tray case.

The unit also includes two batteries to allow children to charge their devices. If a parent brings a tablet, having battery packs in the unit allows for quicker access to charging. The batteries are placed in a way that prevents a child in a car seat from seeing or reaching them without adult assistance.

The LootLocker allows for children’s items to be within reach and give the child their space, providing the parent for an easier journey. Resulting in a less stressful car journey for the parent/guardian along with the child.