Ewan Wills is a UK-based freelance product designer with a background in robotics engineering. He runs a one-person studio that takes ideas from concept to manufacture for founders, startups, and small teams.

What services does Ewan Wills offer?

End-to-end product development: feasibility studies, first-principles prototypes, custom PCBs, embedded firmware, motion-system design, tolerance analysis, design for manufacture, and supplier handoff with drawings and bills of materials.

Where is Ewan Wills based and who does he work with?

Ewan is based in the United Kingdom and works with UK and international clients remotely. Most clients are founders and startups; engagements typically begin at concept-validation or prototype-to-production stage.

Is Ewan available for new projects?

Yes. The studio is booked through early 2027 but is still adding to the queue, and accepts contact via the website. Typical reply time is within 48 hours.

What products does the studio sell directly?

Three: EWatch by Ewan Wills (an open programmable ESP32-S3 smartwatch with a full-colour touchscreen, available to pre-order in three tiers — bare PCB £59, self-assembly kit £99, fully assembled watch £129; shipping after certification, estimated April to June 2027); EWrapper, a motorised hand-wrap roller for combat sports (£29, currently out of stock); and custom mouthguard cases with personalised art (£24, ships from the UK, bulk and team orders available).

Ewan Wills, freelance product designer in the United Kingdom

Ewan Wills is a UK-based freelance product designer. The work is robotics, mechatronics and design for manufacture: feasibility studies, first-principles prototypes, custom PCBs, embedded firmware, motion systems, and the supplier-ready manufacturing package at the end of it. Clients are founders, startups and small teams. The studio takes new projects from May 2026 and usually replies within 48 hours.

By Ewan Wills, freelance product designer. Last updated 2026-09-12. About Ewan · Contact · contact@ewanwills.co.uk

Product design and product development services in the UK

Ewan Wills offers product design and product development from the United Kingdom, with remote clients worldwide. The core specialism is robotics product design: products that move, sense and act. In practice that means motion systems, gantries, actuators, controls, and the custom electronics and firmware behind them. Three of those jobs are written up here: the MiniCapper laboratory vial-capping device, an automated bolt pick-and-place gantry and a from-scratch CNC milling machine for aluminium. ScrubMarine, an autonomous hull-cleaning ROV, is currently in development.

There is electronics work alongside the robotics, miniaturised and low power: the in-ear vital sign monitor and the EWatch by Ewan Wills. Every project is carried through design for manufacture to a supplier-ready package.

What does Ewan Wills do?

Ewan runs a one-person product development studio. Most engagements run in four phases: discover (the problem and the constraints), prototype (fast first-principles builds to de-risk the concept), refine (tolerance analysis, design for manufacture, iteration against real testing) and deliver (drawings, bills of materials and a supplier-ready package).

Featured projects

EWatch by Ewan Wills is an open, programmable smartwatch and ESP32-S3 dev board with a 1.69″ full-colour touchscreen and USB-C. The drivers are open source, hand-written and tested, and there are working example projects to feed any LLM as context. Available to pre-order in three tiers: bare PCB £59, self-assembly kit £99, fully assembled £129. Shipping after certification, estimated April to June 2027.
ScrubMarine is an autonomous ROV for the inspection and cleaning of marine vessels. Mechanical, electronics and software all in-house. Currently in development. £100,000 budget (current phase), a team of 4–6 engineers, project lead.
MiniCapper is a standalone laboratory device that caps and decaps vials for lab automation. Tested in a lab, with every custom part machined from metal. £35,000 budget, small team (2–3 engineers), project lead. Full case study.

What is behind each featured project?

Three facts per project: the business case, the robotics and engineering, and the budget, team and outcome. The product sequence higher up this page is annotated with the same three.

EWatch by Ewan Wills: open programmable ESP32-S3 smartwatch

Business case: An open, programmable smartwatch and ESP32-S3 dev board for hobbyists, makers and developers.
Robotics and engineering: Electronics-led: low power consumption and miniaturisation, with hand-written open-source drivers for display, touch, IMU, BLE, charging and sleep.
Budget, team and outcome: Solo design and development. Three tiers: bare PCB £59, self-assembly kit £99, fully assembled £129. In certification. Pre-orders are open, with shipping estimated April to June 2027.

ScrubMarine: autonomous hull inspection and cleaning ROV

Business case: Autonomous inspection and cleaning of marine vessels, designed and built from scratch.
Robotics and engineering: Full-stack hardware: mechanical design, custom electronics and software, all in-house.
Budget, team and outcome: £100,000 current phase · 4–6 engineers · Project lead, mechanical and electronics design. Currently in development.

MiniCapper: laboratory vial capping and decapping device

Business case: A standalone device that caps and decaps vials for use in laboratory automation.
Robotics and engineering: Concept through to a final version tested in a laboratory environment. Designed for manufacturability and ease of assembly, with all custom components machined from metal.
Budget, team and outcome: £35,000 · Small team (2–3 engineers) · Project lead.

What disciplines does the studio cover?

Mechanical: CAD, design for manufacture, machining, tolerance analysis.
Electronics: Custom PCBs, firmware, low-power and miniaturised design.
Robotics: Motion systems, gantries, controls, mechatronics integration.
Product: Prototype to market, supplier handoff, manufacturing packages.

What other projects has Ewan Wills built?

Past work covers client engagements, personal products and university coursework. A selection:

EWrapper, a motorised device that rolls used combat-sports hand wraps back into a tight cylinder in about a minute. £29 (currently out of stock).
Custom mouthguard cases, 3D printed in two colours so two otherwise-identical mouthguards can be told apart. £24, ships from the UK. Bulk and gym-branded orders available.
Custom development board: a reusable PCB platform with a common feature set, which de-risks the next electronics project.
EWatch mini devboard, a wrist-sized PCB carrying ESP32-S3, USB-C and a display connector. It came before the EWatch.
Powder dispenser: a stackable feeder that dispenses microcapsules accurately. Feasibility study for an unconventional powder.
CNC milling machine, a DIY mill for aluminium. The work went into mechanical accuracy, structural rigidity and motion control. Full case study.
Bolt pick-and-place: a camera-guided gantry robot that screws bolts in. A personal project to de-risk my CNC mill: my own ESP32 board, CAD, printed parts and firmware. Full case study.
In-ear vital sign monitor, a battery-free earpiece that a phone powers and reads over NFC. MEng group project of five; I designed the case and co-built the app. Full case study.
CanSat, a satellite-type system launched in a rocket. It took first place among UK teams.
Spruci is a modular self-irrigating green-wall system. Concept to functional prototype.
ASTRO, a line-following buggy that collects waste containers with a servo gripper, built by a team of six. I ran the team and designed the mechanics. Full case study.
clairewills.co.uk, a custom website for an artist to manage sales and display a database of hundreds of artworks. Cataloguing and admin tooling behind a public gallery.
holibags.co.uk, an online shop for a Kirkcaldy maker of one-off handmade bags, cushions and gifts sewn from reclaimed leather and fabric. Product catalogue, cart, Stripe checkout, and admin tooling for stock and photographs.
johnwillspsychology.com, a static site for a BABCP-accredited CBT practitioner: the therapies offered, how appointments work, and how to get in touch. Rebuilt for speed and clarity, served behind a shared Caddy with automatic TLS.

Who is Ewan Wills?

Ewan Wills is a product developer with a background in robotics engineering, based in the United Kingdom. It is a one-person studio, so there is no account-management layer: the engineer doing the work is the person you email.

Clients arrive at one of two stages. Early-stage founders who need a concept proven before they raise capital, or startups with a working prototype that has to become a manufacturable product. Either way it is the shortest path between idea and object: feasibility, prototype, DFM, supplier handoff.

How do I get in touch?

Email: contact@ewanwills.co.uk
Based: United Kingdom · Remote worldwide
Working with: Founders, startups, small teams
Typical reply: Within 48 hours
Open for: Still adding to the queue, booked through early 2027

Send me the shape of the project: stage, constraints, timeline. I'll come back with next steps. The contact form on this page takes the same details, if that is easier.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Ewan Wills based?

The United Kingdom. Remote engagements with international clients are fine.

Is Ewan accepting new clients?

Yes. I'm booked through early 2027, but I'm still adding to the queue, so tell me your timeline and I'll say where you'd fit.

What does a typical engagement cost?

It depends on scope, stage and timeline. A typical engagement covers feasibility, prototyping, refinement and supplier handoff. Send a short description of the project through the contact form and you'll get a scoped proposal back.

Does the studio sell finished products as well as offer consulting?

Yes. EWrapper and custom mouthguard cases are sold directly. EWatch by Ewan Wills is in certification: you can pre-order it, and it ships once that's done.

Does Ewan Wills offer product design and product development services in the UK?

Yes. Ewan Wills runs a UK product design and product development studio for founders, startups and small teams, based in the UK with remote clients worldwide. The services: feasibility studies, first-principles prototyping, custom PCBs and firmware, robotics and motion systems, design for manufacture, and supplier handoff with drawings and bills of materials.

What is robotics product design, and does Ewan Wills do it?

Robotics product design is the development of products that move, sense and act: motion systems, gantries, actuators, controls, and the electronics and firmware behind them. Yes, it is Ewan Wills's core specialism. There are case studies for the MiniCapper laboratory vial-capping device, an automated bolt pick-and-place gantry and a from-scratch CNC milling machine. ScrubMarine, an autonomous hull-cleaning ROV, is currently in development.