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| Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg The Ages of Man Source Wikimedia Commons |
On Friday 17 Jan 2025, I attended a fascinating seminar entitled Rise and Design - The Internet of Caring Things which was presented from the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead. "Rise and Design" is the networking service of Design Network North which is a project delivered by RTC North. I wrote about Rise and Design in Rise and Design Online: A Webinar for Designers in Northeast England on Designing our Way out of Lockdown on 16 June 2020. I appreciated greatly the informal Friday Zoom meetings that Terry McStea, Head of Design Network North, convened during the pandemic. For that reason, I support as many Rise and Design events as I can.
The Internet of Caring Things ("IOCT") is a programme developed by the National Innovation Centre Ageing ("NICA"). NICA develops products and services which enhance the quality and extend the duration of human life. The seminar introduced the IOTC, NICA and some of the companies with which the NICA has collaborated.
Adam Cosheril, a specialist in creating physical prototypes through three-dimensional printing and other additive manufacturing technologies, outlined the services that NICA provides through the IOCT and gave examples of the products that the programme has helped to develop. These included the prototype for Tinkle Guard Ltd. ("Tinkle Guard"). Adam mentioned his passion for merging creativity with innovation and helping organizations to develop new technologies.
The next speaker was Chris Withers who has created an educational board game called MiBox Live. This device develops players' numeracy and problem-solving skills through analogies with athletics. The product's website describes the game and explains the rules through a short video on the "How to Play" page. Chris explained how he became an inventor and entrepreneur which impressed the audience considerably.
After a refreshment break, Angela Davidson, the inventor and founder of Tinkle Guard, introduced her company's product. As its name suggests, it is a device for collecting urine samples. It was originally intended for babies but versions have been made for the elderly and incontinent adults. Angela was the only speaker who mentioned intellectual property. I was glad to learn that she had applied for patents for the UK and other European countries.
The last presentation came from Matt Goodman of Active Future. He set out his company's vision which is instilling a lifelong love of movement in people of all ages. This includes more than just sports and extends to food and entrepreneurship. The company arranges events and manages projects.
There are often elevator pitch presentations from members of the audience and further networking after Rise and Design Events. I do not know whether any took place in Gateshead after Matt's talk because I attended online and the host cut the connection shortly after he had finished. Even without those encores, we had a good session from which I learnt a lot.
This event has prompted me to update this website. Earlier today I wrote about the North East Growth Hub and the Tees Valley Business Board in The LEPs' Successors in Northeast England and removed the links to the former local enterprise partnerships. I have inserted links to the North East and Tees Valley Business and IP Centres. The big change in the North East is that some business and IP services are now available throughout the North East Combined Authority area and not just Newcastle Central Library. Tees Valley Business and IP Centre's website only mentions Stockton right now but that may change if other libraries in the area can participate in the scheme. I have inserted links to the National Centre for Ageing and IOCT under "Newcastle" in my "Universities" links page. I have also inserted a whole links page to RTC< Design Network North and Rise and Design. I have added a link to the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. As there has not been a Venturefest in the Tees Valley for some time I have removed that link. I will try to turn up for Venturefest North East in Newcastle Civic Centre on 18 March 2025.
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