SWITCH is a purpose built hand to tool used to trim and maintain cattle tails. Photo/ Supplied.
A product that makes trimming cattle tails easier is moving to the international stage of a prestigious award.
Twenty-three-year-old Lisa Newman from New Plymouth is the inventor behind a tail trimming product she has called SWITCH.
SWITCH is a lightweight, portable, purpose built hand tool to help farmers in the dairy industry trim and maintain clean cattle tails. The design of the product incorporates circular clipper heads to hug the shape of the tail to create an easy, stress-free trim.
While the product will make farmers' lives easier in the dairy shed, for Lisa herself, the product has earned her a coveted spot in an international competition. After being awarded the runner-up spot in the New Zealand James Dyson Award, Lisa will now showcase her product to an even wider audience.
The runner-up spot means Lisa will move on to the international stage of the competition where a top 20 will be selected by a panel of Dyson Engineers. Two final awards, international winner and sustainability winner, will be judged and chosen by Sir James Dyson himself.
The international winner receives $55,000 and NZ$9500 for their university,
while the sustainability winner receives NZ$55,000.
Lisa, a graduate from Massey University in Wellington, designed the product for a project during her final year of university.
"I researched and created a final viable model."
SWITCH is powered by a 18V 3ah Lithium ion removable battery. The battery runs a DC12V motor that is connected to the crankshaft and angled drive pin.
An angled drive pin helps facilitate a neutral wrist position, while the on and off control switch on the top allows the user to use the tool in whatever position they feel comfortable, without constricting them to one position, minimising the risk of a repetitive strain injury, she says.
The clipper blades are designed to mimic the shape of the tail, trimming more surface area than traditional flat clipper blades for a quick and efficient trim. The outer blade oscillates over the stationary blade reducing the risk of causing injury to the tail or farmer while trimming.
Lisa graduated from university in May this year, completing a bachelor of design majoring in industrial design and receiving first class honours.
She was raised on her family's 250 cow dairy farm.
"Being born and raised on a dairy farm I grew up learning and interacting with farming products, procedures and caring for livestock. From this I have been immersed in the dairy industry and believed there were gaps in the industry for good industrial design."
Lisa says the idea for the product was inspired by a conversation with her father.
"I was talking to Dad about what equipment could be improved or created to make farming easier. Farming is a hard physical job and there is a lot of equipment that doesn't tend to a farmer's needs."
She says once she looked into the animal welfare regulation, she came up with the idea for SWITCH.
"In October 2018 the docking of cattle tails was banned. This created a gap in the marker for a way to clean and maintain cattle tails without causing harm to the cow herself."
As she continued researching, she found people were using tools that weren't suitable for trimming.
"I designed SWITCH to meet modern day standards of being able to keep up with the busy farming environment, while being simple and practical to use. I designed something purpose-built for trimming that can keep up with the high demand of being a farmer."
She says the project started by talking to a range of professionals in the dairy industry including farmers, veterinarians and animal care and welfare specialists.
"I also visited as a research method from a range of farms with different herd and shed types to be able to fully understand the tail trimming process. "
She says to achieve an accurate assessment of the design, a trimming simulation was made and used throughout the testing process.
"To accomplish a natural position models were made with an adjustable head to determine the ideal position while using the device. As the models became closer to the finalised form weights were added to help simulate weight distribution. A big focus around the tool's design was portability, usability and function to maximise the tools use and be able to be incorporated into any dairy shed environment."
She says she investigated different blade shapes to develop a blade that would result in an efficient trim.
"I also looked into different existing hand tools and well-known brands used by farmers to inspire the final aesthetic of the design."
She says her project looked for opportunities to help improve the health and wellbeing of cattle within the dairy industry in New Zealand and around the world.
"I focused on a product that improves the health and wellbeing of cattle and the health, wellbeing and comfort of the farmer while dealing with cattle on a daily basis."
She says making it to the international stage of the James Dyason Awards is 'amazing'.
"It's an amazing achievement for myself as a designer and for my product SWITCH. Being a finalist helps me validate my idea while also being able to stand alongside other outstanding designers and product ideas.
"Being recognised on a global stage is something I have only ever dreamed of as a designer but thanks to the James Dyason Awards this dream is now becoming reality."
The product is also a finalist in the New Zealand Best Design Awards.
Lisa says she is looking to manufacture with a New Zealand company.
"I'm working towards creating a working model that can be tested so I can receive feedback and then mass-produce. It's exciting that something I designed in university could go to market."