YOUNG inventors are to compete on the national stage after taking the top three places in a prestigious competition.
Students from Emmanuel College, Gateshead, won the junior, intermediate and senior age groups in the regional contest of the Big Bang technology competition.
They now have until March to develop their inventions in time for the national finals due to take place in Birmingham.
The regional heat was staged at Northumbria University and saw the students set up stalls and talk to judges about their electronic inventions, each designed to solve problems in society.
Emmanuel College’s Year 9 team, comprising Jack Wood, Anisha Sahota, Alix Bungay and Eve Cummings, all 14, took the junior contest with a mood band for students with autism with which they could let the teacher know whether they were happy or sad.
“We used a printed circuit board, micro controller and coloured lights which shine green for happy, amber for nervous and upset and red for unhappy,” said Jack.
“We are hoping to develop it so it can be used in hospital and so it can talk. It also needs to look more commercial and we are trying to make the PCB smaller.”
The intermediate section was won by Year 11 student Shannon Richardson, 16, with a high visibility jacket that lights up at night.
The senior category was won by Year 13 student Rebecca Cruxton, 18, with a proximity alarm which sounds when small children stray too far from their parents.
Technology teacher Louise Glover said: “They all did fantastically well. They came up with their own ideas and worked them up in a very short space of time. All of the judges were really impressed with them.”
