EW BrightSparks 2023 profile: Andrew Stylianou, The Little Car Company

Now in its sixth year of awards, EW BrightSparks sees Electronics Weekly highlight some of the brightest and most talented young engineers in the UK today.

Here, in our series on the latest EW BrightSparks of 2023, we highlight Andrew Stylianou, a Special Projects and Powertrain Engineer at The Little Car Company.

Achievements

Described as an energetic, resourceful and creative engineer – solving numerous design challenges – his manager describes him as “a wunderkind!”

Having studied at West Herts College before achieving a Bachelor of Engineering at the Open University, he declares that his interests in engineering range from mechanical, through electronics to software.

One previous manager, from ALL.Space, endorsed Andrew as follows:

“Andrew is an energetic, resourceful and creative engineer. He has helped us solve numerous design challenges, often in very inventive ways. He’s a great team member, hard working and full of energy. He would be a great asset to any organisation.”

“Andrew is energetic and enthusiastic in his approach to work”, added a Manager at his previous company, Pure International. “He is creative in finding solutions to test, monitor and debug product in development. Andrew has shown a keen interest in engineering outside of Pure and has competed a number of home projects. Andrew would make a valued addition to any engineering team.”

His current manager – a former EW BrightSpark himself, Keno Mario-Ghae, Head of Special Projects at the Little Car Company in Bicester – is similarly positive:

“There is a lot to write and much to share, if I were to include it all,” Mario told us. “He really is a wunderkind!”

Self taught at Python, Assembly and C, he’s also experienced at using Autodesk Inventor, Google Sketchup 3D design software, TestLink and Atlassian Confluence.

Community

Andrew has done a lot of outreach, often sharing engineering and giving tours and talks to children from local schools around Bicester a couple of times a year.

Also, as part of his college course he was chosen for a STEM day. Despite very short notice, he developed a robot arm, from recycled materials, that could be controlled from a Wii remote and had colour tracking capabilities.

The day involved children from a primary school coming into the company lab while interactive demonstrations where run, explaining the mechanics to the enthusiastic children.

He shares some of his side projects such as this on his Instagram account, including another 3D printed prosthetic arm that is actuated by brain waves which he coded and designed himself.

And there is also his jet pack! You read that right – he is literally trying to become Iron Man, jokes his nominator. He has been working away at this idea for five years and – starting with hops to defy gravity (see pic above) – he can now sustain a hover with his jet pack.

Outside engineering, he has helped his father renovate three different houses, learning many electrical and plumbing skills along the way. And other hobbies include making and flying drones and model planes, surfing, wake boarding, wind surfing and paragliding, he is also working towards his Private Pilots License (PPL).

He is a leader for his church youth group.