ENGINEERING students who developed a water-saving shower and an energy-efficient generator have been recognised at a national competition.

Richard Ogodeton’s eco shower saves and recycles water usually wasted and Daniel Crumpton’s generator makes electric-car engines lighter and more efficient.

The University of Sussex students won two out of five categories of The Telegraph STEM Awards which reward the best undergraduates studying science, technology, engineering and maths in the UK.

Richard’s shower was designed while he was an undergraduate in product design at the university.

After graduating in 2013 and winning a StartUp Sussex entrepreneurship award, Richard developed his business while studying at Sussex for a Masters in IT with business and management.

His Coflo product captures cold water before it escapes the shower head and then mixes the collected water back into the shower stream during the course of the shower, saving water and making the shower more powerful.

It is currently on trial at The Grand hotel in Brighton and there are plans to use it in university buildings.

Final-year mechanical engineering students Daniel Crumpton, Owen Joslin, Gabriel Holdgate, Adam Richardson, Gabriel Holdgate and Justin Sarpong won the automotive category for their generator which makes electric-car engines lighter and more efficient.

Their CAROP generator could make it much cheaper and energy-efficient to run an extended range electric vehicle (E-REV).

E-REVs run on electricity but also have a petrol engine that powers the battery when low, meaning they can travel much further.

But using two engines is heavy and inefficient.

The CAROP generator harnesses ‘resonance’ to increase the efficiency of the internal combustion engine and how much electricity it can produce.

Their design combines two engines into a single unit and is more compact and lightweight.

Daniel said: “Our design is a step forward for the automotive industry to increase the efficiency of range-extended electric vehicles.

“It is still at an early stage but, with more research, this could become a product that reduces carbon emissions the world over.

“Studying a STEM subject at university has many benefits. As well as good job opportunities, you gain the knowledge and skills you need to solve challenging problems in the real world.”

Professor Diane Mynors, head of engineering and informatics, said: “We know Sussex students are excellent, the achievement of these students proves they are amongst the best in the country if not the world.

“And I am sure they would like to thank their lecturers and the support staff.”