Health care for the elderly the next big challenge for technology says Sir Robin Saxby

07 March 2008

The next challenge for technology will be in monitoring the health of our bodies so that if something goes wrong, it can be fixed. With an ever-increasing elderly population, prevention of problems will be more effective than finding a cure.

So says Sir Robin Saxby, past president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) speaking at the launch of the IET’s Faraday events on Friday 7 March at the London Science Museum at the start of national Science and Engineering Week.

Sir Robin said, “One of the major challenges in the next twenty or thirty years is how technology can affect the health of people. We have seen the rapid progression of state of the art technology in mobile phones, communications etc. Now we will see it being used in connection with the state of the body.

“The world cannot afford for elderly people to go into specialised homes. We need to enable people to live more healthy lives. We need to monitor people’s health so that if something starts to go wrong, it can be fixed. The next wave of technology will have a dramatic impact on this.”

The statement was particularly appropriate as nearly 400 students and teachers from the south east filed into the Science Museum to spend a day taking up challenges under the IET’s banner of ‘Technology for Life’. The challenge had gone out to all UK schools and the event is going on from London to Glasgow, (Monday 10 March), Rotherham (Wednesday 12 March) and Portsmouth (Wednesday 2 April).

The competition to find the winning school began last year when all UK schools were invited to take part. Schools had to make a submission by film, the best were selected and a professional camera crew sent to the schools to help make the final entry. Overall winning school was the South Bromsgrove school.

Deputy Head teacher, Paul Farr, said, “We entered mainly because it was fun for the students. We wanted them to be excited about science and technology and this project seemed to fit the bill. The spin off is that not only has it excited our pupils who were already keen on science but it has encouraged others to look again at these subjects.”

Bromsgrove pupils, James Blandamer and Jack Hart, were the main driving force behind the school’s film entry. “We thought the project would be fun. We have always loved science. We made the first film on a portable camera which was OK but it was really good to see it produced professionally.”

Sir Robin continued, “We have to encourage kids to follow their inner passions. There are big opportunities, a chance to change the world, to do something, experiment, think outside the box. But it’s a global market, don’t just think about the UK. Reach out around the world – be the best of the best.

“In China and India a lot of people are studying engineering and technology and coming to Europe to find their jobs. Let’s turn it around – go out into the world and influence. Push the global barriers and technological barriers aside. I have a lot of faith in human nature and human beings: we can save the planet but we need more scientists, more engineers to do it.”

Ends

Mary Donovan
Media and PR Officer
T: +44 (0)1438 765587
M: +44 (0) 7725498117
E: mdonovan@theiet.org