Seven months after graduating from RISD's master's program in industrial design, Cameroonian Neville Songwe was considering job offers in Asia due to a lack of capital for commercializing his police car safety concept in Providence.

But now, Songwe has investors backing his plan (including a silent partner in Florida), a contract from students at MIT's Sloan School of Management to develop a computer-enhanced exercise machine, and a new lease on a 9,000 sq. ft. former firehouse in Central Falls.

With the exception of Songwe’s “Brijo” police car concept – named after his mother, Brigette, and father, Joachim – most of the Cameroonian’s designs cater to people with disabilities. He has designed a more stable wheelchair for paraplegics who play sports, as well as a device that helps deaf athletes detect important sounds.

Meanwhile, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline has told Songwe that he would look into donating a retired police cruiser for Joneso’s prototype of the “Brijo” interior.

Songwe's redesign of a police car's interior moves computer screens from the side to the center and switches from the dashboard to the steering wheel, reducing the need to look away from the road.

Due to heavy usage, 15 to 20 percent of police and security cars in the country are replaced every year, creating a large market for Songwe’s design, said Edward M. Mazze, a director with Joneso and retired dean of the College of Business at the University of Rhode Island, in a February interview.