Year 2 pupil awarded Bronze medal in London for ‘Heat Sensor’ invention
Veda, a Year 2 pupil at Silkes Academy in South Ockendon, has recently achieved a significant feat by winning a Bronze medal at the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal for her energy saving invention which was turned into a prototype.
Veda’s invention, ‘Heat Sensor’, addresses the issue of energy wastage caused by heating or air conditioning systems running when doors or windows are left open. Her innovative solution involved placing sensors on doors and windows that illuminate red or green to indicate whether they are open or closed. The system then communicates with a controller to take the necessary action, such as turning off the heating or air conditioning to conserve energy.
It was initially submitted to the “If you were an engineer, what would you do?” annual STEM competition, ran by Primary Engineer, in 2024. UK School pupils from the ages of 3-19 are tasked with interviewing an engineer, before being asked to identify a problem in the world around them and coming up with a creative, engineered solution to that problem. All entries are read and graded by professional engineers, with every single pupil who takes part receiving a named and graded certificate. The competition then culminates in exciting regional public exhibitions and award ceremonies, where shortlisted designs are displayed, and the winners and highly commended are invited on stage to receive their awards.
AVEVA, a company committed to sustainability and one of Primary Engineer’s partners, selected Veda’s idea to develop into a working prototype during the 2024–2025 academic year. The AVEVA ProtoTeam, based at the Cambridge Science Park, collaborated with Veda to bring her concept to life. The team faced initial challenges due to their limited experience with sensors and control systems. However, they overcame these obstacles by utilizing an IKEA smart home kit, which included programmable APIs, to control heating and air conditioning systems. They developed custom software to bridge the gap between the sensors and smart plugs, enabling the system to function as intended. The finished prototype was unveiled at Primary Engineer regional East England award ceremony on 26th June 2025, then submitted to the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal Award.
The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal, which is now in its fourth year, acts as the forerunner to the illustrious MacRobert Award, the leading prize for engineering innovation in the UK. The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal is designed to celebrate the achievements of the school pupils, students and young engineers who have all worked together to create innovative and world-changing prototypes based on a school pupils engineering idea.
Veda, her family and teachers from Dilkes Academy attended the official award ceremony for The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal ceremony at the prestigious Drapers’ Hall in London on Monday 17th November 2025. The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal is a collaboration between Primary Engineer and The MacRobert Trust, with support from Weir and Christopher Ward.
Earlier in the year, Veda’s family said “We are incredibly proud of Veda’s remarkable achievement. Her keen problem-solving skills and innovative thinking have led to the Heat Sensor idea that was selected for prototyping. We are grateful for the opportunity provided by the AVEVA team to involve Veda in the Prototyping process, which has been a valuable learning experience for her. The collaborative approach taken by the AVEVA team has been truly inspiring for Veda, and her visit to the AVEVA Science Park with her friends was a memorable and enriching experience. Notably, the significant representation of women engineers at AVEVA has left a lasting impression on Veda, serving as a source of inspiration for her future endeavours.”
Congratulations to all the medalists, and you can find a full list of them here: Primary Engineer Award School Pupils and Engineers in London – Primary Engineer
Read more about this prototype here: https://www.primaryengineer.com/tag/apt25/