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Mini dragons take on BT
Wednesday August 27th 2008. Posted: 09:00
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Team Mini-Tek members, from left, Alan Sinclair, Laura Oag, Calum Risbridger and Adam Risbridger
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A ground-breaking new multimedia belt could become one of the latest hi-tech designs to hit the High Street - thanks to an enterprising group of youngsters from Wick.
The innovative blueprint impressed BT man Robin Mannings so much that Team Mini-Tek has landed a trip to pitch its business ideas to BT's IT experts at Adastral Park in Suffolk. Its range of show-stopping features, which are designed to appeal to sports users and people trying to lose weight, gave research foresight manager Robin an insight into the team’s inventive capabilities and he named the group a winner in this year’s ICT Youth Challenge. The team comprised Alan Sinclair, Laura Oag, Calum Risbridger and Adam Risbridger - who’ve each won a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Adastral Park. It was one of three winning teams at the Inverness event, which saw Robin give a presentation on the future of technology in business. Robin said: “I was really impressed by the team’s ability to communicate with passion and its background insights into a potential market. “The multimedia belt is, in effect, a wearable computer capable of delivering sound, music and speech to the user via wireless Bluetooth headphones. “It also includes wireless displays which could be worn around the wrist, while sensor technology would monitor the body as well as record distances walked or climbed. “Tracking technology allows the belt to know its location and it might even be possible to harvest power while using it from solar cells or a mechanical generator. “It would communicate wirelessly with the internet so that health professionals, such as trainers and coaches, could monitor performance and help the wearer to improve their personal fitness and wellbeing. “The whole process encourages youngsters to think about what could be achieved once the competition ends. They might be able to commercialise their idea or pursue another information communication technology (ICT) innovation, building on their experiences and lessons learnt during the challenge. “Their trip to Adastral Park will give them much the same experience as BT’s leading customers who come to visit. “After an introduction to the site, covering our research and development activities and company history, they’ll visit a number of innovation showcases within the customer centre to learn about future home technology. “They’ll also learn about the future of healthcare with Pulse and take a tour of the research lab. BT researchers will demonstrate some of the company’s more futuristic technology, such as new ways to interact with computers and the internet. “Finally, the youngsters will have a chance to present their ideas to the BT ‘dragons’ and take part in a question-and-answer session.” The other winning teams can look forward to similar business trips, with Inspired Ideas jetting off to Seattle to visit Microsoft and ICT Unit pitching its ideas to Boston-based MIT Media Lab later in the year. The BT-backed event, which is now in its sixth year, has helped many of its previous participants set up their own businesses in the Highlands and Islands.
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