Engineer looking for young minds to mentor

‘I HAVE accumulated a lot of knowledge, I just don't want to see it go to waste’... those are the words of an 80-year-old Bovey Tracey engineer who is looking for an organisation where he can share decades of experience and help inspire the next generation.

Stuart Spray, pictured, has worked as an independent, self-employed engineer for decades, taking on projects ranging from electronics and microprocessors to audio, music and image processing.

Now semi-retired, he is hoping to find a local group or organisation where he can use his knowledge to mentor young people and amateur enthusiasts interested in designing, building and experimenting with technology.

‘I have always been an engineer,” said Stuart, whose father was a mechanical engineer.

‘I didn’t really understand what an engineer was, but because my dad was one, I wanted to be one’.

Stuart began his working life in 1962 and has since built up a vast range of knowledge and equipment.

He has also lectured at the University of the West of England, where he ran projects, and continues to work on projects simply because they interest him.

‘I basically do what I enjoy doing – I don’t do it for profit’, he said.

One organisation that has particularly inspired him is FabLab at Exeter Library, where amateur electronics enthusiasts can meet, design and build projects, experiment with technology and learn new skills.

Stuart believes a similar opportunity could benefit people locally, provided it had the right supervision and expertise behind it.

He said he would be particularly interested in supporting young people aged 16 and above, as well as amateur enthusiasts who want to learn about electronics, coding, microprocessors, software, image processing and design.

‘I can teach, I can inspire’, he said. ‘Lots of young people have no idea what engineering is’.

For Stuart, passing on that knowledge has become increasingly important.

‘I have no family, so it is a legacy issue too’, he said.

He is already demonstrating how his experience can be used to develop new ideas.

Most recently, he has been working with the NHS in Torbay on technology that could potentially provide an alternative to virtual reality for people who are blind or partially sighted.

After becoming involved in a trial using virtual reality as a form of chronic pain therapy, Stuart wondered whether a similar approach could be created without relying on sight.

His idea was to use three-dimensional, or ambisonic, sound to create an immersive environment through audio.

Unlike conventional stereo sound, ambisonic audio can give the listener the perception of sounds coming from around them, including above and below.

Stuart developed and physically built a demonstrable prototype, which he has also taken to the University of Malaga in Spain.

He hopes the technology could eventually be developed further through the NHS, although he acknowledges that getting new technology into the health service can be a lengthy process.

‘I’m 80, I haven’t got all the time in the world,’ he said. ‘I might not be around in five years’ time, so get on your bike – and do stuff’.

Whether working on innovative medical technology, developing audio equipment or simply helping someone build their first electronics project, Stuart says his main ambition now is to put his experience to good use.

‘I have accumulated a lot of knowledge, I just don’t want to see it go to waste’.

‘There are not a lot of years ahead of me now, that sounds a bit ghoulish perhaps, but that is the way it is’.

For those wanting to contact Stuart, contact the Mid-Devon Advertiser via [email protected]