Students make pioneering dementia breakthrough

Students from a further education college in South East Wales, have been awarded Gold CREST Awards by the British Science Association (BSA) for designing AI powered glasses that use facial recognition technology to support patients with dementia.

Inspired by one of the student’s personal experiences with family members suffering from dementia, the project aimed to empower dementia patients to overcome their struggles to recognise loved ones and increase their independence.

To achieve this and address the lack of supportive devices available, eight students explored how new technology could be better applied to address memory loss in patients and help them reconnect with loved ones, via a new prototype.

The glasses featured a small, high-definition camera to scan for registered faces which would be saved in an app connected to the glasses. The app would contain information about each of the registered faces including family members, friends and care staff. An earpiece connected to the glasses could tell the wearer when a recognised face is detected, informing them who they are, and helping to relieve some of the distress of memory loss.

As part of their project, the group created a theoretical company to create and manufacture the glasses called Theia: AR Technology, named after the Greek goddess of sight. Each member of the group had a specified role in the company including a founder, a researcher and evaluator, a financial and technological analyst and a project manager.

To inform the prototype, the students undertook comprehensive research into the issues relating to memory loss in dementia patients and the impact it has on the patients and the people around them, as well as new AI and engineering approaches.

The group completed their project with Engineering Education Scheme Wales (EESW) STEM Cymru, an educational charity that supports young people to discover ‘how valuable a career in engineering can be’. The ESSW fosters students’ ambition to pursue a career in engineering by linking them and their teacher with companies and universities to complete an engineering project that will address a real-world challenge.

Once they had completed the project, four of the group worked together to submit the project for a Gold CREST Award, producing a final report to capture their work from start to finish. CREST Awards is a nationally recognised scheme for student-led project work, designed to challenge inquisitive students and help them run investigations which address real-world STEM problems.

Many students are able to use their CREST Award science projects as an example of their interest in STEM and practically showcase their knowledge and the additional skills they gained to set them apart when applying to university.

Evelyn, Coleg Gwent student and the company’s founder, spoke about her personal experience which first sparked her idea for the final product.

She said: “I have family members and friends with loved ones suffering from dementia. [I’m] aware of the lack of medical devices or treatments available to help individuals with dementia. [The glasses could] benefit the dementia patient as it reduces the emotional impact of memory loss. It additionally benefits the people around them”.

Commenting on the project, Researcher and Evaluator, Teagan, who also attends Coleg Gwent said projects like this could give people with dementia more agency when communicating, helping to “alleviate the pressure of those around them” and give them back some more independence.

Jeremy Morgan, South Wales Coordinator for Engineering Education Scheme Wales, said: “The EESW 6th Form Project encourages young people to consider a career in engineering by pairing them with professional engineers to tackle real world problems over a six-month period. Team 1 at Coleg Gwent – Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone, won the EESW South Wales award for the Project with the Most Commercial Potential.”