Technology and innovation group PA Consulting run an annual Raspberry Pi competition for schools teams in which they are given a subject and told to go away and invent something. This year’s challenge was “to produce innovations that will improve the lives of people who have conditions that limit their ability to do the things some of us take for granted”. A heady challenge, indeed, and one which really seemed to capture the imaginations of those who took part. Finalist projects, presented to the judges yesterday, included:
- a drum kit to allow Parkinsons’ sufferers to combat stress.
- a device to help teach those with ADD and dyslexia.
- a memory clock to help those with dementia.
- a system for front doors to help deaf-blind people to identify who is calling.
- a system to alert carers if their patients have a fall at home.
Winners included:
- Haileybury College, Hertfordshire
- St Mary’s School
- King Edward VI Grammar School
The panel of judges included the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Philip Colligan, the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones and previous winner (and AirPi inventor) Tom Hartley.