Finalists from the Young ICT Explorers competition showcase their tech projects at ADM+S at QUT
Author ADM+S Centre
Date 8 November 2024
On 11 October, finalists in the 2024 Young ICT Explorers state competition from East Brisbane State School (EBSS) presented their innovative technology projects, including the Baby Seat Booster and the Memory Keeper, at the QUT node of ADM+S, with the Baby Seat Booster team securing second place in the competition.
The Young ICT Explorers (YICTE) is a non-profit competition supported by CSIRO Digital Careers, The Smith Family, Kinetic IT and School Bytes. The annual competition encourages primary and high school students from years three to 12 to use their imagination and passion to create an invention that could change the world using the power of technology.
While at QUT, the students presented the following projects virtually to the YICTE judges.
Baby Seat Booster
The Baby Seat Booster is designed to prevent young children from being injured or fatally harmed whilst traveling in a vehicle. The team’s research uncovered that 38% of children who die in car accidents die because they were unbuckled and that approximately 5000 Australian children are left in cars each year unattended. The Baby Seat Booster device not only alerts the parent when their child is unbuckled but also when their mobile device leaves the vicinity of the vehicle while there is still a child in the seat. Using a heat sensor the device also indicates when the car is becoming overheated – when the temperature sensor reaches 35C – and sends an alert to the parents’ phone. To develop the device the team used Arduino load cell, load cell amplifier, reed switch, Bluetooth and a temperature sensor technologies. They prototyped the sensors and mobile phone app, calibrating it to ensure it can accurately detect a child when they are placed in the booster seat, and also when they are removed from this seat.
The Memory Keeper
The Memory Keeper project is a part of the 125-year celebration of East Brisbane State School, integrated into a larger website project commemorating the school’s history. The team focused on preserving daily life at EBSS by capturing audio recordings, photographs, and interviews. They recorded playground activities, the oval, the senior choir, and other school sounds to develop online materials to create a rich and immersive experience.
The team conducted interviews with various individuals connected to EBSS, including five past students, teacher aides, the old groundsman, the former library monitor, the principal, and their local member of Parliament Dr Amy MacMahon. They documented their memories and stories, highlighting the school’s evolution from approximately 1951 to the 1980s.
To aid accessibility and engagement with the materials, they implemented QR codes at key locations during the 125-year celebration. These codes link to the website, allowing visitors to access audio and visual content. Speakers placed under the undercroft will replicate typical lunchtime sounds, immersing visitors in the school’s daily environment during the celebration event. This project addresses the lack of public awareness about the school’s internal activities, providing a comprehensive view of EBSS’s vibrant history and daily life. By preserving these memories digitally, the team has ensured that the legacy of EBSS is available for future generations to explore and appreciate.
EBSS 125 Year Celebration
East Brisbane State School has an incredibly rich and powerful 125 year history. Despite this incredible history it is easy to walk past the school and not realise the stories and memories that it holds. To make this history visible, this team’s solution was to make a website about 125 years of EBSS – to be gifted to EBSS on the school’s 125-year celebration. The website includes a timeline of important moments in the school’s past, historical records, a link to a virtual walkthrough which includes virtual photos to allow anyone regardless of their mobility to access inside the school, including the areas such as the heritage-listed bell tower.
The team said, “we hope that by creating this website we can help people acknowledge the past of our school. We also hope our work can be used in future for useful purposes and extended and updated.”
The Young ICT Explorers program encourages students to use creativity and innovation to gain a greater understanding of the diverse capabilities of technology, which was evident amongst the students visiting ADM+S.
Professor Daniel Angus, Director of the Digital Media Research Centre at QUT and Chief Investigator at the ADM+S at QUT hosted the students during their visit.
“It’s inspiring to see students taking an active role in learning about and shaping digital technology. Engaging young minds in ICT projects like these not only builds their skills but gives them a voice in the future of digital technology. Children bring fresh insights and creativity, reminding us all of the importance of involving them in the evolution of technology. They’re not passive users of digital tools, they’re potential innovators who can teach us a great deal about where technology should and could head if we care to listen.”
The students met with ADM+S higher degree researchers and learned about the Centre’s work in creating responsible, ethical and inclusive automated decision-making systems and how such research can shape future technologies.
Finalists of the 2024 competition were announced on November 7th, with the Baby Seat Booster team taking home second place.
