• by Jennifer Dail A student has won a Welsh Development Agency technology prize for developing an anti-stowaway security system.
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Mark Hammill's design features a night vision camera on the rear of the trailer to monitor the rear blind spot and trailer doors, This data is recorded and simultaneously relayed to a monitor on the cab mirror arm.
The display gives a 90° view from the rear doors to the horizon; additional information is gathered and recorded from magnetic and motion sensors and a live audio feed from inside the trailer.
Hammill developed the device as part of his product design degree at Swansea institute.
He developed an interest in trucks and the problem of stowaways while working at vehicle component manufacturers Holland (Europe).
"There's currently very little on the market," he says. "The cheapest products cost about 11,400 but my system, if mass produced, could retail at a significantly lower price. This represents a reasonable investment considering the hefty fines imposed on drivers who are caught unwittingly transporting illegal asylum seekers."