School staff
Personal profile
George Torrens has been a practicing Industrial designer for the last 30 years. He had undertaken a four year course in Design For Industry at Newcastle Polytechnic (now known as the University of Northumbria), prior to which he served a four-year apprenticeship at Bristish Nuclear Fuels Limted, Windscale and a one year arts and crafts foundation course at Carlisle College of Art and Design.
He has undertaken research and design development projects for charitable and commercial organisations, as well as the United Kingdom Government. George has been the named inventor on four patent applications, with two GB and one US patents granted. He has been an invited speaker to present on issues relating to Inclusive design and design ergonomics at National and International Conferences. He has also been a panellist reviewing short listed proposals for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as well as the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council. George regularly reviews papers for eight academic journals.
George was the founding member of a University spin-out Company, Dexterity Research Limited, which was the first University spin-out company to win a DTI SMART Award. He was a Director and shareholder between 2000-2003. George currently advises inventors on their designs through the East Midlands Development Agency and The Nottinghamshire Business Venture Trust. In 2009 he was awarded funding by the Audi Design Foundation to develop the his patented fit-splint, an innovative new method of fracture support for the wrist.
Teaching
Module Leader
- DTA109 Industrial design studies 1
- DTB002 Universal design
- DTC013 Universal design
- DTP853 Inclusive design
Support tutor
- DTA003 Design context
- DTC003 Industrial design studies 3
- DTC015 Final year design practice
- SAP101 Visual thinking and communication
- DTZ001 2D and 3D Visualisation
PhD Supervisor
- Department co-ordinator DANS
- Personal Tutor
Research
Research group: Design Practice.
- Member of the Design Research Society
- Founding member of the British Institute for Design and Disability
- Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
- Member of the European Academy of Design
- Associate member of the Ergonomics Society
- Associate member of the Society for Research in Rehabilitation
Principle research interests and activities
- Development of design methods and design for manufacture leading to enhanced innovation within the field universal and inclusive design
- Development of methods and tools for user-centred research and the validation of product design within inclusive and universal design
- Enhancing knowledge of the physical interaction between people and objects
- A better understanding of human responses to external stimuli and their application within product design
Featured publications
- Torrens, G.E., Black, K., 2010, Chapter 6, Equipment design in Inclusive physical activity and sport, Design for Sport, Gower Press, London.
- Black, K., Williamson, D., Torrens, G.E., 2010, Chapter 7, Inclusive game design: Case study, Participatory design: describing an undergraduate interactive inclusive design project, Design for Sport, Gower Press, London.
- Torrens, G.E., 2004, Future Concepts in Hand wear and Footwear (FCHF), Final Report for the Defence Logistics Organisation, MOD, Loughborough University, Loughborough.
- Torrens G.E., 2001, Hand Data Deployment, Final Report for the Defence Logistics Organisation, MOD, Loughborough University, Loughborough.