Nairn graduate set to lead UK team in university event which will see students create real-life Iron Man-style suits
A STUDENT is helping organise a first-of-its-kind event tasking participants to make real-life Iron Man-style suits.
Aidan Waite (21), who now lives in Londonderry but grew up in Nairn, has set his sights on working at the forefront of in exo technology, creating wearable devices to boost human strength and endurance.
He is now helping organise the first ever Exo Games at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston where he recently graduated with a masters degree in mechanical engineering.
Mr Waite has teamed up with US company ASTM International’s Exo Technology Center of Excellence (ET CoE) to run the Games with help from tutor Dr Matthew Dickinson.
He said: “My university projects focused on exo technology and I developed a medical device that would help healthcare workers to move and handle patients more efficiently.
“My passion for this sector led to helping to organise the first ever Exo Games, where students from Brazil, Belgium, India and the US will travel to Preston to test their exo designs against each other through a range of tests.
“I’ll lead the UK team, represented by fellow UCLan engineering students, and it will provide a great opportunity to showcase what we can do in front of industry experts.”
Exo technology has powered comic book and big screen superhero Iron Man for decades, but is increasingly becoming science fact in both medical and military fields particularly.
A self-described “hands-on learner”, Mr Waite didn’t have an easy journey getting to university after struggling to complete his English GCSE, but always knew that maths and engineering were his strong points.
“I was always striving to build and create since I was little playing with Lego”, he said.
“I struggle heavily with English, but I’m very capable when it comes to the mechanical and maths side of engineering. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my four years at UCLan and my writing skills have vastly improved during this time.”
He added: “I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved and feel sad that it’s almost over because I’ve loved every second of my journey to get here.”My long-term goals are to work in the exo technology industry to design and test exo skeletons. I’m already thinking of applying for a PhD.”
The ASTM International Exo Games will run between August 15 and 17.
