Students from Groningen to Maastricht win prizes for their innovations at the Raspberry Pi Schools Competition
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Students aged 12 to 19 were challenged to invent a solution for a positive future during the largest innovation competition for secondary schools in the Netherlands.
Yesterday, the 7th Raspberry Pi competition came to a close in Amersfoort with a fantastic final day. This competition, organised annually by PA Consulting, challenges students to create an invention using the tiny Raspberry Pi computer that solves a societal problem. This year’s theme: Innovating for a sustainable and positive future.
During the celebratory finale, four teams were awarded prizes:
- The Strawberries (OSG West-Friesland in Hoorn) won the prize for the most creative invention with their side-mirror sunglasses;
- The PIonieers (Gomarus College, Groningen) won the prize for the most feasible invention with their ‘Remind Me’ memory aid;
- Team MediCard (Sint-Maartenscollege, Maastricht) had the most impactful invention with their patient information exchange system; and
- Gear Up! (Wings Agora, Roermond) won the Triple A Encouragement Award for their Vision Gear, which helps visually impaired people navigate their environment.
Innovation can drive our society and economy forward. That’s why we do this. These students bring their creative minds, their Willie Wortels. I have immense admiration for their creativity and perseverance. They have worked hard and long to turn an idea into something that reached this final day.”
A reinforcing effect
During the final day, the students were introduced to Mixed Reality. Chris Vinke, Research & Development Product Owner at Enexis, demonstrated how Enexis uses Virtual Reality as a training tool and led a successful “Dive into XR” workshop, giving the enthusiastic participants a chance to explore VR and XR training.
It also became clear during the final day how the competition has a reinforcing effect on innovation among students. For example, Utrecht’s Stedelijk Gymnasium, which won the competition last year with their invention SafeTea, invested their prize money in a 3D printer for the school. This printer is now an essential part of a lab space where students can unleash their creativity. It has also been used extensively to create new inventions for this edition.
Another highlight was a visit from a winning student from the previous edition. He had specially come from the Griftland College in Soest to the award ceremony to show jury member Esmeralda Waterreus (Philips) the further development of his invention. His cuddle bear is designed to comfort children before undergoing surgery and, thanks to LLM technology, can now actually speak to the children. He is now looking into whether he can bring the bear to market. This is exactly the type of development that the Raspberry Pi competition hopes to foster.
What excites me every year about the Raspberry Pi competition is the genuine joy among the students. From the videos they send us to their final presentations, the joy and even the disappointment after the award ceremony – it all forms part of this journey. I’m really pleased that even after seven years, we still maintain that authentic enthusiasm from the students throughout the competition.”
Awards for healthcare innovations, road safety, and accessibility
The award ceremony was once again hosted by Klaas van Kruistum, in collaboration with a nine-member jury: Annemieke Reingoud (ProRail), Chantal Gielen (UWV), Tim Vermeulen (Alliander), Demis Rosa (Enexis), Philip van der Zande (Stedin), Esmeralda Waterreus (Philips), Martijn Kwant (Rabobank), Peter Strikwerda (APG), and Willem van Asperen (PA Consulting).
- The award for the most creative invention went to the Strawberries from Hoorn. Their ‘sunglasses’ for side mirrors reduce the blinding effect of drivers with their high beams on behind them. An unexpected solution to a specific and concrete problem.
- The most feasible invention was that of the PIonieers from Groningen with the ‘Remind Me’, an easy-to-use memory aid for people in the early stages of dementia. “You can come up with something very creative, but it has to be practically implementable,” said jury member Esmeralda Waterreus. “The simplicity of this invention makes that possible. Well done, guys!”
- The award for the most impactful innovation went to team MediCard with their namesake invention. This card with an NFC chip contains all the medical data of a patient, overcoming some major current obstacles regarding data exchange in healthcare. A privacy-secure system that the jury was very impressed with.
- Finally, the Triple A Encouragement Award went to the team Gear Up! and their Vision Gear. This cap with sensors helps visually impaired people navigate better. They won the award due to their combination of solid research into a societal problem, technical functionality, and the enthusiasm and dedication of the team members.
PA Raspberry Pi competition Netherlands
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