First year Mechanical Engineering student Lewis Campbell has been awarded the Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award for his innovative solution to vehicle cloning.

Lewis came up with the award-winning idea of installing near-field communication chips in cars, which would use a frequency-changing algorithm to deter hackers and communicate with a nearby smartphone. 

The phone would then take vehicle information from the chip, store it in a server via blockchain, and create an electronic record to make it tougher for fraudsters to clone vehicles. 

"innovative and unique"

Autocar Editor-in-Chief Steve Cropley, a member of the judging panel, said: "Lewis’s idea was not only innovative and unique, but it also aptly reflects the change we have seen in the last 10 years, with the industry rapidly embracing new and innovative technologies."

The award, designed to support young talent in the automotive industry, was presented to Lewis at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders annual dinner. As part of his prize, Lewis has the opportunity to spend five months gaining work experience with firms including Horiba MIRA, Jaguar Land Rover, McLaren Automotive, Nissan and Toyota.

This is not the first time a University of Glasgow student has received the award. In 2015 Mechanical Engineering student Morven Fraser was recognised for her body panel energy storage concept.

Lewis said: "I’m overwhelmed to have been chosen as the winner. The Next Generation Award has rewarded a string of inspiring innovations over the past 10 years, and it is a great honour to have been selected to join that list.”

First published: 29 November 2018

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