Wiltshire engineering student shows off innovative fire alarm (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Twenty-year-old James Popper has designed an innovative kitchen fire alarm system called CookerSmart for the national Make it in Great Britain challenge

12:00pm Sunday 12th August 2012 in News By Ian Craig

A YOUNG engineering student from Cricklade will get to show off one of his designs at London’s Science Museum after being picked as a finalist for a national competition.

Twenty-year-old James Popper has designed an innovative kitchen fire alarm system called CookerSmart for the national Make it in Great Britain challenge.

James, who has just finished the first year of his engineering degree at Cambridge University, said he had come up with the idea after an elderly family friend had been victim of a kitchen fire.

“Everyone has to deal with false alarms in their kitchen whether you burn sausages or something, but this system isn’t based on smoke so you won’t have that problem,” he said.

“Sixty-seven per cent of house fires start in the kitchen, and this system can detect fires a lot quicker and a lot safer than normal smoke alarms.”

The system, which works by identifying infrared emissions from flames rather than smoke, will be on display at the London’s Science Museum during the Olympics James said he was hoping to take his product to market next year, and was delighted to be representing Wiltshire in the competition.

For more information on the Make it in Great Britain competition, which runs from July 24 to September 9, visit makeitingreatbritain.bis.gov.uk/