Innovation and entrepreneurship were this week combined at the first national expo of its size, displaying 400 projects by design and technology students.

The projects, exhibited at the St Clare College Secondary School in Pembroke, were submitted by 20 State and church secondary schools.

Design and technology is a compulsory subject for form one and two students at State schools. However, they can opt to continue studying the subject for the remaining three years at secondary level.

At the expo, students met Mcast entrepreneurship and University engineering students who also exhibited their work – including a thermal camera used for medical purposes and a controller that functions through brain waves.

Education Officer of Design and Technology Keith Galea said the exhibition was organised on this scale to allow design and technology students to share their work and ideas and create awareness about innovation.

The highlight of the expo was a competition funded by the Small Businesses Ministry’s Entrepreneurship through Education Scheme, which was won by the St Ignatius College.

The winning team created a drinking aid for bedridden people: a mug with a straw that can be propped up next to a bed so that the drinker does not need to hold it in his hands.

A sensor was also installed to let the carer know when the mug is empty, so that it can be refilled, while the container changes colour if the liquid is too hot to drink.

The prototype was produced through a 3D printing machine, of which there are 80 in 28 State schools.

Meanwhile, the expo featured a prototype of a robot, based on Star Wars’ BB8 droid. The robot was also 3D printed on similar printers found at these schools.

The functioning robot, measuring 90cm in diameter, was created by the Design and Technology Learning Centre in collaboration with the Computing Department.

Organised by the Design and Technology Learning Centre within the Education Department and the Small Business Ministry, the expo was also endorsed by the Valletta Design Cluster under the Valletta 2018 Foundation.