Child tracker wristband wins Bright Ideas award

A wristband that uses Bluetooth technology to help parents track their children’s whereabouts was one of the winning entries in Grow Wellington’s recent Bright Ideas Challenge.

Massey University Bachelor of Design students Saskia Wallace and Pam Ward picked up the student award for their idea for a product called SafeSparrow that sends a signal to a parent’s smartphone if their child wanders too far away.

Based on the fact 3,000 children are reported missing in New Zealand each year, the team, called Appease, say the wristband or a badge would be attached to children up to the age of four to give parents peace of mind.

Appease was among three finalists from Massey University in the Bright Ideas Challenge which supports young entrepreneurs in developing innovative business ideas and attracted 925 entries.

Another finalist from Massey University, Bachelor of Business Studies student Sam Bonney won a $3,000 scholarship in recognition of his skills as team leader of Knife and Spork and his team has also attracted investment from a web development company. The concept of Knife and Spork is to cook extra portions and promote social eating through hosting paying customers in the home so they don’t eat alone.

Meanwhile, Bachelor of Business student finalist Rebecca Hoang and her team have now signed a memorandum of understanding to go into a business partnership with her idea for a Roger Road Assistant GPS application to help new restricted drivers learn New Zealand’s road code.

Staff from the School of Management teamed up with the College of Creative Arts (CoCA) to encourage business and design students to team up and enter the competition.

New Venture Project senior lecturer Dr Martina Battisti, of the Centre for SME Research, says the initiative was in collaboration with CoCA’s Associate Professor Chris Bennewith and lecturer Anna Brown, who leads the Creative Futures paper, as well as Head of School of Management Professor Claire Massey and the Grow Wellington team.

“The competition is a perfect complement to these papers because it gives Massey students the chance to network with business leaders and tap into the expertise they have to offer when they are putting together a business plan for their idea,” Dr Battisti says. “We are delighted that from 925 entrants, three Massey students groups made it to the last 29 and competed in the finals.”

Nigel Kirkpatrick, chief executive of Grow Wellington says the entrants in this year’s Bright Ideas Challenge were an impressive reflection of the aptitude and depth of Wellington’s entrepreneurial community.

“As a region, Wellington really is an entrepreneurial hub; the ideas that have been generated by the 2011 Challenge are a huge testament to that,” he says.