Scottish pupil’s invention ‘The Bench Bed’ awarded Gold Medal in London
Libby, a P7 pupil at Cockenzie Primary School in East Lothian, Edinburgh, whose passion for engineering and helping people were uncovered during 2024 when her school took part in a UK-Wide STEM competition. She has recently achieved a significant feat by winning a Gold medal at the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal for her caring and imaginative invention to help the homeless which was turned into a prototype.
Libby’s invention, ‘Bench Bed’, is a versatile street bench that transforms into a sheltered bed at night—complete with surrounding walls to provide a warm, safe spot for someone experiencing homelessness. 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.
The University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, one of Primary Engineer’s partners, selected her concept to be developed into a working prototype, recognising its real-world potential and social compassion.
The ProtoTeam who built the prototype did so alongside Libby, who was an active collaborator. The ProtoTeam welcomed her into the university environment, involving her in design discussions, decision-making, and even hands-on tasks—she took part in a soldering workshop to help build the custom PCB that controls the Bench Bed’s lighting and communications systems, and kept a second version as a keepsake. The finished prototype was unveiled at Primary Engineer Scotland South East regional award ceremony on 28th May 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. 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 pupil’s engineering idea.
Libby, her family and teachers from Cockenzie Primary School 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 Award Ceremony is a collaboration between Primary Engineer and The MacRobert Trust, with support from Weir and Christopher Ward.
Earlier in the year, Kelly, Libby’s mum, commented to say “Being involved in Primary Engineer has been such good experience. It has been lovely to see Libby grow in confidence, speaking to the team and other agencies.”
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: University of Edinburgh Prototype – Primary Engineer