AbilityNet celebrates young tech inventors on International Youth Day

AbilityNet’s Tech4Good BT Young Pioneer of the Year Award has a proud tradition of showcasing young people using tech to help others.

Proving that innovation runs in the family, sister and brother Mihika and Arnav Sharma are both former Tech4Good  winners. Arnav won the Tech4Good People's Award in 2016 age just nine years old. He scooped the prestigious award in 2016 for his AsthmaPi kit, which he built using a Raspberry Pi. The kit helped anyone living with asthma especially those who were unsure of a diagnosis.

Inspiration struck his younger sister Mihika AbilityNet’s Tech4Good BT Young Pioneer of the Year 2019 when she was only five.

She and her Mum were helping a blind lady across a road. Upset when the lady almost tripped, Mihika who is now nine has designed a Bluetooth-enabled Smart Stick to help people with visual and hearing impairments be better able to walk on their own. 

Environmental and social innovations by the young

Commercial companies have shown interest in previous award winners, notably the team of four young people who in 2018 put together the concept of the Water Watcher

The Water Watcher is a simple inexpensive solution designed to combat the problem of running taps and water wastage worldwide.

The small devices uses BBC Micro:bit technology and is a small, device which fits on to any tap and once activated by the vibrations of the water, uses a timer and alarm system to alert the user if the tap is left on too long. 

It can be easily strapped on to any sized faucet.

In 2015 the AbilityNet Young People’s Award went to the I’m Okay app designed to support young LGBTQ teenagers. 

A wealth of young talent across the board

Taking part is especially important in this category and being a Runner Up is definitely cause for celebration. 

The shortlisted entries for AbilityNet’s Tech4Good Awards 2019 were hotly contested so much so that we awarded a Highly Commended Award to Joshua Lowe for his Edublocks software.

Joshua developed the software, which is a drag-and-drop version of the computer language code Python, when he was only 12 years old. 

It is now being used in schools in more than 120 countries around the world. 

Other shortlisted young pioneers in 2019 included a door entry systems for people living with dementia and a smart NFC label reader to help blind people co-ordinate their outfits.

Find out more about the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards and review this year’s winners

Find out more about International Youth Day