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Imagine Cup UK Finals 06, first hand review and results!

Arriving at St. Anne’s Manor, after what can only be described as the most tedious taxi journey of my life, I was looking forward to meet the teams who would be fighting it out to be this years UK Imagine Cup Finalists. Fame, fortune, X-Box 360s and a trip to Delhi awaited the winners. Walking into the reception sublime wafts of curry flavoured air tickled my already hungry body. For the next 3 hours I got to walk, talk and eat my way through the different ideas that had excited us enough to get them this far. Dietary trackers, pill monitors and a number of medical problems were addressed. Every team had a great proposition, and these enterprising, excited students were here to do battle!

Act 2, Scene 1. Microsoft Campus, Thames Valley Park, Reading

After a good night’s sleep, hearty breakfast and the early morning jitters the 10 finalists descended on TVP and made their way to their posters which had been erected the night before. For many this was the first chance to see the Microsoft campus and in a short while they would need to pull together their practice, ideas and team spirit to ‘sell’ their idea to the Judges.

In the vein of a venture capital pitch or as some put it, our very own mini Pop-Idol Competition the contestants had 5 minutes or so to pitch their ideas, and answer a Q+A session. After this nerve racking round, all under the steady gaze of a film crew and camera, 3 final teams were selected to present to the large crowd (no easy feat in itself) and from these final three a winner would be selected!

Act 2, Scene Pi. Chicago 1 and 2, Building 3

The first team to present was team Three Pair. The idea being pitched was a system for patients in Intensive Care Units to have contact with the outside world and their family. Often patients recovering form surgery spend a long time lying in their bed waiting for healing to finish. Unfortunately while their physical attributes may heal, often the patients are left with mental scars. The solution to this was a simple application and user interface that allowed the patients to read blogs, connect to family members and at least try keep some idea of what was happening in the world around them. The idea was well explained with lots of good technical and medical information to backup their claims

The second team to present was Team Ariel. The idea being pitched was for a hospital wide solution to the problem of infections being spread inadvertently by hospital employees or visitors. The figures floated by the team showed that this was a huge problem, and cost the NHS dearly, both in financial loss but also, in the loss of human life. The solution was a system that tracked where everyone had been in the hospital and warned if a mistake had been made that could lead to an infection. The idea was well thought out with market research and statistical information.

The final team to present was team Med-Aware. The idea being pitched was for a system that tracked the intake of prescription medicine. A large proportion of people fail to complete their courses of antibiotics and this can lead to mutations of viruses or bacteria. The waste of this medicine also costs the NHS dearly every year and is a problem that needs to be addressed. The solution was a connected application that allowed members of the NHS to track, monitor and contact individuals who were currently taking prescription medicine. The team pitched their idea well and made a great case for not only its financial implications but also the impact it would have on the spread of disease.

And the winners?

Team three Pair! The judges decided that the team had the best idea which could impact the world in a profound way. It is now up to Team Three Pair to prepare for Delhi, and hopefully bring the cup back to England!

The competition was followed by The Register Developer (which is going to have the winners blogging regularly on their progress)
https://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2006/03/13/imagine_cup_final/

Winners!