Ashley-Cain

[Music plays and photographs flash through of young students]

[An Australian map and text appears: BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Awards 2018]

[Image changes to show a back view of Ashley Cain walking to a sofa and then image changes to show Ashley carrying an electronics board and sitting down] 

[Image changes to show Ashley walking towards the camera along some decking and then the camera zooms in on Ashley smiling]

Ashley Cain: Hi, my name is Ash Cain and I am in Year 10 at Mazenod College and my assignment was the “Brushless Motor Generator”.

[Image changes to show Ashley sitting in a chair talking to the camera and then the camera pans down to the electronics board on Ashley’s lap]

It is a brushless motor and a generator in one design. 

[Image changes to show Ashley talking to camera again]

The generator component harvests the wasted energy from the motor and converts it into an electric current which can be used to power other things such as recharging batteries and other small electrical components.

[Image changes to show Ashley carrying a drone outside and placing it on a table]

So, my inspiration came about a year ago when I decided that I would like to make my own drone from scratch. 

[Image changes to show a close up of Ashley looking down and then image changes to show Ashley’s hand holding the drone on the table]

So, I was researching in how to actually make the battery life last longer, because that’s one of the main flaws in drones, is their short battery life.

[Image changes to show Ashley holding a remote control then image changes to show the drone take off and fly high among trees]

 And I came up with the idea of adding a generator component into the motors because I just felt that it was a wasted opportunity there to actually harvest some of the energy.

[Image changes to show Ashley working on a laptop and then camera zooms in on Ashley and then the image changes to show the laptop screen he is working]

I think the invention could have a major impact on the industry and especially in those that use diesel electric transmission systems. 

[Image changes to show Ashley sitting in a chair talking to the camera]

So, basically what that is, it’s a big diesel generator that generates electricity to power an electric motor. 

[Image changes to show Ashley outside looking up and using a remote control] 

But the current systems, they don’t have anything to harvest the energy from the electric motor.

[Camera zooms in on the remote control and then the image changes to show a close-up shot of Ashley looking up and then the image changes to show the drone flying in the sky in the distance]

Even if the motor adds an additional ten kilometres to the travel distance, this is performed thousands of times each year, and that’s for just one vehicle. 

[Image changes to show Ashley talking to the camera]

Imagine companies that have thousands of vehicles. You imagine how much money this would save them. 

[Image changes to show a close-up of Ashley looking down and then the camera pans down to show Ashley connecting wires on his generator]

My invention is just a prototype so it’s quite inefficient. 

[Image changes to show Ashley holding a remote control]

It’s unbalanced, so it’s not going to live up to its true potential.

[Images move through of the generator moving and vibrating, Ashley holding the remote control while the generator moves and then Ashley looking at the remote control]

But with all the resources in the world, I can see this far exceeding what I have actually built at the moment and changing the world for the good.

[Images move through of Ashley sitting in a chair talking to the camera]

When I was little, I was actually a really sporty, sporty kid. So, I would play football, cricket, volleyball, like everything basically, athletics. 

[Image changes to show a close-up of Ashley smiling]

And when I was also little I actually wanted to be a chef. 

[Image changes to show Ashley’s hands on a keyboard and then the image changes to show Ashley sitting in the chair talking to the camera]

So, cooking was like a big passion when I was little, and I think that yeah, definitely the cooking aspect, creativity that’s a like big part in that. 

[Image changes to show Ashley sitting on the floor working on his generator]  

The same as in with engineering, you have to be creative, you have to think of new ways to do things. 

[Image changes to show Ashley sitting in a chair talking to the camera and then the image changes to show Ashley operating his generator]

I’ve took apart probably everything that is old and not used anymore, I’ve probably taken it apart just to find out how they work. 

[Image changes to show Ashley fiddling with his remote control and then the image changes to show Ashley talking to the camera]

I just like finding out how things work, like that’s what fascinates me. As the population grows, the need for power will become more and more. 

[Images move through of a close-up of Ashley’s computer screen, Ashley’s hands on the keyboard, Ashley looking down and then Ashley sitting in a chair talking to the camera]

If I could be part of finding a solution to solve that issue of unlimited power, that’s what I would do. 

[Music plays and an Australian map and text appears: BHP Billiton Foundation, Science and Engineering Awards, 2018]