Winners of the TeenTech Awards 2016 were crowned during a ceremony at the Royal Society London this week.
More than 120 teenagers were chosen as finalists out of 1,400 contenders across the UK. During the day the finalists presented their ideas to a judging panel of celebrity science presenters, journalists and academics.
Teams compete for a cash prize and the opportunity to pitch their ideas to industry experts who can make their product ideas a reality. Winning teams are also invited by TeenTech Patron HRH Duke of York KG to a reception at Buckingham Palace in the Autumn.
The 2016 awards challenged entrants aged 11-18 to develop scientific and technological solutions designed to make live “better, simpler or easier”. The TeenTech Awards encourages teenagers to use technology to solve real-world problems.
Each category for the event is sponsored by an industry partner, which in 2016 included: Maplin, National Grid, Airbus, JVCKenwood, Symantec, Atkins, Cranfield University, AQA, CILIP IL Group and Dell.
Co-founder of TeenTech and former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter Maggie Philbin was joined by the likes of Professor Brian Cox, theoretical physicist and broadcaster Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Gemma Morris from SKY, Fran Scott, CBBC Science Presenter, Channel 4’s Dr Christian Jessen, BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, Tech reporter for BBC Click LJ Rich, Channel 4 News’ Geoff White, science and tech reporter Dallas Campbell, and Jo Johnson MP.
This year there were more female finalist teams than male. Philbin said: “It’s gratifying to see 75 girls and 69 boys in the finalist teams. Students from all backgrounds come to our TeenTech events and begin to understand that working in tech is about finding real solutions for real needs.
“They work really hard on their own ideas with support from some brilliant mentors and surprise themselves as well as our judges when they see what they can achieve.”
TV’s Professor Brian Cox, said: “I always look forward seeing what the students at TeenTech come up with and I’m never disappointed. We are seeing the next generation of scientists and engineers, and it fills me with optimism. TeenTech’s great contribution is to re-enforce their enthusiasm and to provide them with both the inspiration and information they will need to build successful careers. Every finalist was a worthy finalist and as for the winners, I congratulate you. But the real prize is your future in science and engineering.”
Iona and Alice from James Allen’s Girls’ School in London, winners of the 2015 Consumer Innovation Award, brought a working prototype of their product ‘Indicate’ which was a winning project in 2015. Since their win they have been working with Maplin making their designs and concept a reality, with the end goal is selling it at Maplin stores. ‘Indicate’ is a high visibility jacket that allows cyclists to indicate using LED lights worn on their back.
Iona and Alice said: “For us TeenTech has been a really life changing experience that’s helped us see the world in a different way. It’s made us realise that if you have ideas you don’t have to wait to be 18 or wait until you graduate from university to make something of them. You can start whenever you want – coming up with ideas and designing products that can actually make a difference and people want to use”
Recently Philbin was presented with the Digital Leader of the Year for her work with TeenTech.
The Digital Leaders 100 Awards presented her with the award. The CEO of Lloyds Bank described her as having very special qualities as a leader.
On her award Philbin said: “It’s incredibly humbling to win something like this. There were some brilliant people nominated, and that’s the whole thing about the digital space. There are so many people doing such incredibly significant work.”
“By default digital has created this whole community because we know about each other and support each other. The award has come as the most wonderful surprise and is an absolute credit to the brilliant team of people across the UK and Ireland who make TeenTech the very special organisation it has grown to be.”
Winners of the TeenTech Awards 2016 were as follows:
Healthcare Category
Loughborough Grammar School – David, Sankha and Hari for Medivest
Wearable technology designed to combat cases of severe epilepsy, allowing patients to monitor and send their vital signs to their doctors.
Energy Category sponsored by National Grid
Westcliffe High School for Boys – Adwaith for “The Palat Engine”
Adwaith set about investigating different forms of fuels and alternate engine configurations. The result is the Palat Engine, the emission from which is almost pure water.
Transport Category sponsored by Airbus
Caterham School – Casper, David and Oliver for “Sensosafe”
A bike light that senses when a car is approaching and notifies the cyclist.
Education Category
Woldingham School – Milan, Imogen and Maria for “MyST App”
My School Trip is an app designed for teachers to find new and exciting school trips. Trips can be arranged for all age groups/Key stages with over 20 subjects included and 100+ excursions to choose from.
Wearable Technology Category sponsored by Maplin
Alton Convent School – Alexandria for “Bras with Benefits”
Bras with Benefits is a cancer detecting bra, designed to identify early stage breast cancer before outward signs are visible.
Music, Media & Entertainment Category sponsored by JVCKenwood
Gillingham School – Thomas and Sol for “Sabretooth Music”
An audio system that enables multi-room speaker from any device and any digital music collection.
Environment Category
James Allen’s Girls’ School – Isabelle and Kyoka for “GreenNet”
A biodegradable fishing net that will break down in water after only two weeks.
Safety & Security Category sponsored by Symantec
Welland Park Academy – Ted, James and Joshua for “Blue-Key”
BLUE-KEY can be connected to a central hub using the app provided on your smart phone to open or close selected doors remotely, helping a wide range of people including the elderly, disabled, and emergency services.
Retail & Finance Category
Notre Dame School – Eve, Zara, Tia and Niamh for ‘Trolley Knowledge”
A built-in tablet for your shopping trolley which helps make your weekly shop a whole lot easier.
Design & Construction category sponsored by ATKINS
Westminster Academy – Siana for “Emergency Necklace Bridge”
An emergency bridge that can be easily transported to and assembled at the site experiencing critical conditions such as damaged infrastructure.
Future of Food Category
Alton Convent School – Iona, Isabel and Lucy for “Natural Nutrients”
Natural Nutrients capitalises on the resources of a living rainforest, providing local people with the tools and skills to produce nutritious food supplements from edible bugs.
Digital Skills Category sponsored by DELL
The King Edward VI School – Alistair, William and Matthew for “NavBand”
Manufacturing Award sponsored by Cranfield University
Loughborough High School – Chloe, Lini and Ashley for “Steerclear”
An adaption of the modern steering wheel to make driving a more enjoyable, safer and interesting experience.
Research and Literacy Award sponsored by CILIP Information Literacy Group
Oakham School – Matthew, Oliver and Archie for “K-Charge”
A shoe integrated with a battery, which charges by converting the kinetic energy generated by walking into electrical energy.
Teacher of the Year Category
Natalie Radmore: Passmores Academy
Best Innovation – Concept category
Sandbach High School & 6th Form College – Amy for “Bluetooth Speakers”
A bluetooth speaker that is made from obsolete books and vinyl records.
Best Innovation – Model, Prototype or Product category
Oakham School – Harry for “Gust”
An ergonomically redesigned hairdryer that is cordless, heats using semi-conductors to minimise damage to the hair and is modular.
Best Research Project
Loughborough Grammar School – Sai for “Biosense”
Research into the detection of glucose in the urine of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes through a toilet block that causes a colour change in the toilet bowl signifying a positive result for a disease test.
Consumer Innovation Award sponsored by Maplin
Oakham School – Harry for “Gust”
An ergonomically redesigned hairdryer that is cordless, heats using semi-conductors to minimise damage to the hair and is modular.
People’s Choice Award
Impington Village College – Peter, Jim and Eddie for “Let’s Get Biking”
An app aimed at young children who like biking. Includes parental control to monitor bike travel to allow parents to select safe routes and traffic information.
