Concerto

A solution was developed to reduce the weight of front-loading washing machines.
The idea is to replace the concrete counterweight of washing machines with a hollow plastic container which is filled with water after installation. This promised a reduction of around 25% in weight yielding huge ergonomic benefits and reduction in carbon footprint. IP landscape was studied and patent application was filed. A proof of concept was designed, prototyped, and evaluated. Its performance under typical operating conditions was compared against the original OEM design. The results were a proof of its potential.
It gained wide coverage from TV, Radio, and internet news channel in the UK and internationally. Global washing machine manufacturers and national distributors have consequently approached Tochi Tech for collaboration.

Hoodira

A concept was developed to take cooker hoods into the next level. In collaboration with Nottingham Trent University, UK, and co-funded by an innovation fund, a proof of concept was built and algorithms were developed to demonstrate the success of the idea. A research paper is being prepared for publication in 2021.

A1A Scanner

Old archive newspaper and engineering drawings are unlike new-paper rolls and stacks used in industrial or office printers. They are often fragile, stuck together, creased, and might even have tears around the edges. There are no known automatic feeding scanners for archiving purposes. It is currently being done manually, placing and removing one page at a time onto the scanners by hand.
A solution was designed and machine was built to automatically feed, capture the image, and perform OCR on none-Latin characters. Three prototypes were built, the last had successfully become a fully working combined automatic feeder and scanner achieving output and accuracy matching the latest reported in academic journals at the time.

DeGame

Data encryption is an important aspect of today’s communication technology, yet it is either unknown to students at schools or seen as a topic lacking excitement.
Learning data encryption through play became the central idea. It was developed and sold to a company. We assisted their development team in its first phase of design. The game combines digital and physical play in a school setting to benefit from both digital connectivity and versatility and to capitalise on the social benefits of group play.

Zamzam

In 2018, approximately 31,500 tonnes of Zamzam water were shipped by air to 10 countries, resulting in massive carbon emissions from burning fuel in mid-air. A novel approach was conceived, studied, and modelled. It would reduce carbon emission resulting from the transportation of Zamzam water by an astounding 96%. The approach and the calculations were presented in a research paper published in Research in Transportation Business & Management journal, Volume 37, December 2020, 100523- Towards enhancing sustainability: A novel approach for reducing carbon emission during the transportation of Zamzam water by pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah - ScienceDirect

Statoclick

Window-type air conditioning units are widely used in hot countries. Their control system is basic and cannot be operated remotely or over communications networks. A retrofit solution was conceived to convert a basic window-type air conditioning unit into an IOT product allowing intelligent control and data analysis for better performance, more comfortable cooling, and energy saving.

Blend

Window-type air conditioning units have poor aesthetics and failed to keep up when compared to split-type products, often looking like a sore thumb in sitting rooms. A new idea was developed to make the unit blend with the background. A new facia was designed as retrofit to make it easy for manufactures to adopt this novel design, or sell as an after-market replacement part. A mock-up was built and engineering design was made.

Combo

Widow-type air conditioners are noisy. This is partly due to the proximity of the compressor to the facia and the single-structure chassis used. A new design was proposed making window-type air conditioner, a split type, but yet within one mechanical structure. The novelty was in designing it in such a manner that enabled installation and maintenance in as easy way as conventional window-type air conditioner. 3D modelling was used to validate the idea.