High-flying innovation: Graduate's motion simulator soars as Converge Award finalist
A motion simulator for would-be pilots designed by a recent Glasgow Caledonian University graduate is up for an innovation award.
Thomas Molony, who graduated in Mechanical Systems Engineering this summer, has designed the R-Sim, a flight-motion simulator designed to offer the training capabilities of a real aircraft − at a size and cost lower than that of conventional flight simulators on the market today.
This is achieved, he explained, by eliminating the physical angle limitations of conventional simulators (typically 30-45 degrees) by using two separate pitch and roll axis with 360 degrees of freedom instead.
The design has seen him shortlisted for a prestigious Converge Kickstarter Award.
Thomas, who was a two-time winner of the Hammermen Award and the Prince Phillip Prize while studying at Glasgow Caledonian, said his design is currently in the prototype model stage, with plans to make the first full-scale prototype using funds from Converge if he is fortunate enough to win.
He said: “The long-term ambition is for the R-Sim to be a major competitor in the motion-simulation market, and to act as an initial introduction to more modern simulation software and VR displays for many training facilities on top of this.”
Converge, funded by various organisations including the Scottish Funding Council and Creative Scotland, aims to empower staff, students, and recent graduates of Scottish universities and research institutes to transform their ideas and research into sustainable businesses. Since its launch in 2011, Converge has trained over 600 academic entrepreneurs and supported the creation of more than 300 companies.
The finalists of this year’s Converge competition are showcasing the pivotal role of students, graduates, and academics in realising Scotland's national innovation strategy.
The strategy, unveiled in June 2023, focuses on four innovation themes: energy transition, health and life sciences, data and digital technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Converge collaborates with all 19 of Scotland's universities and has announced 28 finalists across its four challenges.
As part of the programme, Converge Challenge category finalists had the opportunity to present their business ideas to investors and business leaders in London. The winners and runners-up will be announced at the Converge awards ceremony in Glasgow on October 4.
Thomas added: “Becoming a Converge Kickstart finalist has been extremely rewarding and beneficial − it is the culmination of years’ worth of work, along with months’ worth of business-related work to create the strong application which led to us becoming finalists.”
Portrait: Lloyd Smith