MOST OUTSTANDING INNOVATIVE IDEA

Bird Scarer 2002
Ten-year old Blake looked at the very real problem of bird damage to valuable grape crops. Not only had the birds become accustomed to the noise of the timer-activated scare guns, but also the loud bangs every ten minutes were very irritating. Blake came up with the idea of using an automatic bird-activated system connected to a loud speaker. Blake’s Bird Scarer 2002 device is triggered when a bird lands on the grapevine wires, and a range of sounds from the speaker prevents the birds becoming accustomed to the noise. Blake also hoped his Bird Scarer 2002 would also help farmers and their families when they needed to be away from their vineyards. The Judging Panel for the Dreams and Schemes Awards said "…this invention should be of commercial benefit to farmers."

Doggie Come Home
Georgina, 10, looked at another problem. Her dog, Toto, liked to wander and wouldn’t always come home when she called him. Georgina came up with a very original solution – Doggy Come Home – a mobile phone activated dog collar. When activated by a mobile phone, a small device attached to the dog collar makes a sound that the dog is trained to respond to and come home. Georgina discussed the problem with her mum, her teacher and her classmates. She used a computer and her teacher’s mobile phone to find suitable sounds. Now she just needs to train Toto. The Judges thought this invention would address the problem of dogs straying, and would be of benefit to dog owners, the public, the environment, and of course, the dogs. Georgina hopes her invention will mean there aren’t so many lost dogs.

The Marc Pot
Jessica Graham from Myrrhee Primary School believes her great idea will help the environment and the community. Jessica explored new ways to recycle Marc, a waste product produced by the wine industry consisting of grape skins, pips, juice, stalk, pulp and leaves. She mixed Marc with flour to create the biodegradable Marc Pot for plants. Not only does Jessica’s idea help the environment by recycling waste products, but it also reduces the number of plastic pots that eventually end up in rubbish and in landfill. The Marc pot can be planted directly into the ground and will degrade and provide valuable fertiliser for the garden. The Judging Panel was impressed with the work and testing Jessica had undertaken. They believe the Marc Pot could be an ideal value-added invention. Jessica believes any reduction of plastic waste will really help the environment.

The Gadget Tray
Matt Duncan and Patrick Jackson from Southmoor Primary School were awarded the Best Team Innovation Idea for their innovative Gadget Tray. Matt has muscular dystrophy and needed a handy work surface that fitted neatly into his wheelchair and which could also hold items such as pens and pencils. Matt and Patrick extensively tested their well thought out idea, aptly demonstrating how young minds can come up with simple solutions and innovative ideas. Matt uses his Gadget Tray every day, and both Matt and Patrick would like a company to market their product worldwide. Their invention would be useful for the elderly, nursing homes, hospitals and childcare.

The Watch Watch
Ronan Burder came up with the idea of using a wristwatch with a miniaturised screen to monitor and remotely control security cameras located in a vineyard. Ronan thoroughly researched the needs of the vineyard industry, coming up with an idea that was useful, easy to use, well-designed and cheap to produce. Both the Judges and Ronan can see a wider application for the Watch Watch for general security of commercial premises. Ronan, from Myrrhee Primary School, hopes that one day every vineyard in the world will use his Watch Watch.