Moderator message: I have had the opportunity to see a prototype of this device, and really was impressed. Simple to use and very effective. If you want more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me via: [log in to unmask] New device to stop theft of paintings wins Euro prize October 3, 2005 A University of Bath student has taken a prize in a prestigious European scientific and engineering award for designing a locking system to stop the theft of valuable paintings. Tom Howard, a student in Mechanical Engineering, won third prize in the Scientific Award BMW Group 2005 prize for his design of an anti-theft device for art galleries. He was one of only six students out of 230 entrants from 26 countries to receive a prize, and he will share part of the 70,000 Euros (£47,700) prize money. Tom, who graduated last year with an MEng in Innovation and Engineering Design, was awarded the prize recently at a ceremony in the BMW plant in Leipzig. His “ArtSmart” dissertation investigated various ways of stopping thieves from stealing paintings from the walls of art galleries. He eventually selected one using a novel locking system using a mechanically coded plastic chip as a key. The advantages of his system are that the paintings can be unlocked quickly by the card holder if there is a fire, and the system is flexible enough to allow each museum and gallery to have its own specially coded card. The system is designed so that the entire mechanism can be placed inside the paintings’ frames so that visitors’ visual appreciation is not disturbed. The system is now being tested in two galleries and is at final prototype stage for mass production. Tom is now working on his PhD at Bath, and his thesis is entitled: “The role of information, knowledge and creativity in the design process.” “It’s a very exciting time because the system is now actually being used,” said Tom. “Although it’s hard work producing the final product and doing a doctorate at the same time, it’s well worth the effort to see something that will be of practical use for galleries being developed.” http://www.securitypark.co.uk/ ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).