A futuristic underwater drone designed to identify and protect areas of seaweed under attack from sea urchins has won a national Young ICT Explorers award.
The annual competition encourages secondary school students across Australia to solve real-world problems using technology and their own ingenuity.
Haileybury students Taj and Cooper won the national final after also winning the Victorian final in the Years 7 and 8 division.
The creative duo designed a drone to protect seaweed which is capable of absorbing significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
Sea urchins destroy this vital natural resource and the underwater drone designed by Cooper and Taj detects where seaweed is under threat.
“Seaweed can be the crucial factor to help save the world from the extreme levels of carbon dioxide in our air – it can take in carbon dioxide quicker than most trees,” say the students.
Haileybury students took out the top- three places in the Victorian finals in the Years 7 and 8 Division and won the Young ICT Explorers Sustainability Prize.
Other winning Haileybury projects included second-place-winning AI glasses that use a camera to recognise Auslan sign language and translate it.
A game called Lift that helps young girls manage emotions and stress came third.
“In Lift, the player jumps around and occasionally answers questions that encourage them to think deeper about their feelings and how they can cope with negative emotions,” say its inventors Sherry, Elena, Ara, Zarah and Ella.
“At the end of the game the player will be given a file that includes all their answers.
“By recording and organising their thoughts and answers into a cohesive document, we hope to support girls in deal with stressful situations and problems.”
The Sustainability Prize was awarded to Haileybury students, Advait and Seyon, who are creating an AI system to scan discarded technology at recycling plants. It finds lithium components that can be recycled.
The school has competed in the Young ICT Explorers awards since 2013 and has won 35 state awards and six national awards.
“We have many eager and curious minds driven by a desire to make the world a better place through technology,” Haileybury digitech explorers coordinator Damien Del Vecchio said.
“I love witnessing their ‘eureka’ moments – that point when their projects start to come together. Their creativity and determination inspire me every year.”
