A BICYCLE ambulance, self-inflating life vest and futuristic beach pod were among inventions showcased by students last month.

The Bournemouth University Festival of Design and Technology showcased a wide variety of its final year students' designs and prototypes to more than 700 visitors, including industry professionals.

Among the creations was product design student Douglas Powell's bicycle ambulance, intended to help treat medical emergencies in hard to reach areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.

"I grew up in Zimbabwe and still have family in Tanzania and I've seen this problem first hand, so I started investigating it further," said Mr Powell.

"TransAid, a charity that I linked up with, provided me with case studies.

"It's a serious problem that can be solved - 80 per cent of maternal deaths can be prevented by getting the women to hospital in a short period of time, but the average distance that someone has to travel to a hospital from the rural areas is between 14 and 40 kilometres.

"So the design is able to be attached to a bicycle but by changing the tow arm it can be attached to a motorcycle for those longer distances."

Industrial design student Tobias Donohoe won the Best Industrial Design prize for his Post-Life vessel, an alternative to a funeral urn which uses seeded paper to enable a plant to grow from the burial plot.

Mr Donohoe said: "It is really good to be able to speak to people who have no idea about the project and being able to explain it to them and have their feedback – especially with businesses coming in and hearing what they've got to say.

"It really gives you a bit of a boost – you think of it as just as university project, but this makes you realise that you could take it further if you wished."

The festival, which included exhibits from around 200 students, saw a record number of visitors this year. Many industry representatives also attended a business breakfast with local employers before touring the exhibition.

Around 150 pupils from local schools also attended a special schools day tour as part of the festival, with a guest lecture delivered by a representative from Dyson.

Visit fodt.bournemouth.ac.uk for more information.