13-year-old Freddie from Monmouthshire has gained national attention for his incredible award-winning invention, Door Pi Plus.
Freddie spent more than twelve months building a door security system for the elderly, inspired by the a desire to help his grandmother feel more secure at home.
The invention keeps the door locked until members of the family faces are recognised by a camera and it is possible to unlock. Freddie incorporated facial recognition technology with the use of the Raspberry Pi to make this impressive project.
He started coding with his primary school’s Code Club and has since developed a keen interest in making with technology.
“I’ve been building this project on and off for a year now ,” says Freddie. “I started coding at my primary school Code Club, but now I mainly code at home.”
Freddie took part in Coolest Projects UK, entering the ‘hardware’ category in 2019 wing of the world-leading showcase for young innovators who make stuff with technology.
Martin O’Hanlon of the Raspberry Pi Foundation and a Judge at Coolest Projects UK commented “I was blown away by the Pi Door Plus. The motivation to create something which would help others was clear but the technical aspects of the project also really stood out, integrating lots of different technologies and making skills.
“The project used multiple Raspberry Pi’s to control an RFID reader, electronic door lock mechanism, cameras, motion sensors and audio playback. The whole system sent messages to Freddie so he knew that his ensure that his Aunt would be save and could get help if she needed.“
Freddie won his project category to much acclaim on the day and went on to win the award for Junior Engineer of the Year at the Big Bang Fair and the Siemens Digital Skills Award.
Inspired by his experience making, he is now encouraging other young people to learn to code and start to make their own creations.
“Coding is cool because you can invent cool things to help you and other people around you. “
“I do think more kids should code because lots of the job in the future are probably going to involved coding. ”
Freddie will now go on to compete at Coolest Projects International which he received a special bursary to attend and present his work.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, he decided to build a new project for the event! Freddie is currently busy working on a project called ‘Safe Kids’ – a speed camera and ANPR system for outside primary schools.
He will be showcasing it at the Main Hall, RDS in Dublin on May 5th alongside hundreds of young coders from around the globe.
Want to share your creation with the world too?
Register a project idea for Coolest Projects International before
All ages, skill levels and types or technology and hardware are encouraged!
You can register a project here: https://coolestprojects.org/international/