Q&A: Laura Tuck, design engineer for The Washing Machine Project

What does your role involve?

I lead engineering work on the Divya 1.65 for The Washing Machine Project, the organisation’s flagship product. I have been working on it for around three years and we are at a relatively late stage of development where the focus is less on major design changes and more on manufacturing, continuous improvement and in-field support.

We are a small team, so have to do a bit of everything – for me that can range from video calls with laundrettes in Uganda to understand why a machine is vibrating more than expected, to making design changes to improve the reliability of the machine, and travelling to India to help set up and refine a production line.

As a lead, I also manage a small team of designers and engineers, which is a really rewarding part of the role, supporting great people and seeing their work directly shape the product.

Are new and emerging technologies having an impact on your role? If so, how?

As with everyone in 2026, AI is having a huge impact on every part of our workflow.

One of the most exciting changes has been in language capabilities. At The Washing Machine Project, we work across a wide range of countries and dialects, and language has traditionally been a major barrier. AI tools have made it much easier to translate technical content for partners and end users, from logistics discussions to repair guidance videos that can now be automatically localised into different languages.

These tools are improving rapidly and have meaningfully changed how confidently we can communicate across contexts. More broadly, they are becoming a powerful way to connect with users and better understand and support people with very different lived experiences.

What is your advice to budding engineers?

Get curious, ask questions, and do not wait for permission to start trying to solve problems. Some of the best learning comes from practical experience, making mistakes and understanding why something did not work.

Engineering is not just technical knowledge: communication, teamwork and persistence are just as important. I would also encourage aspiring engineers to build passion projects wherever possible, as practical experience builds confidence and brings engineering to life very quickly.

How does it feel to win this award?

It feels incredibly rewarding and quite surreal. Engineering and innovation can sometimes feel like a long list of setbacks, things that did not go to plan or were more challenging than expected, so it is easy to focus on those moments and lose sight of what has been achieved.

This award has been a chance to step back and properly reflect on the progress through the first decade of my career. I am really inspired by previous winners and very proud to be counted among them, and I am very grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way.

Laura also spoke to Ingenia in 2023, about how she first became interested in engineering and her career journey up to that.