QUT students brighten lives of seriously ill children - 2003

02 April 2003

A whiteboard that plays music with a child's pen strokes is helping to brighten the lives of seriously ill children at the Mater Children's Hospital thanks to a team of hard-working QUT students.

The whiteboard was chosen out of 20 student designs by hospitalised children who visit the Starlight Express Room, a playroom within the hospital.

Industrial design students Andrew Peterson and Chris Lomath worked with Electrical Engineering student Adam Gallagher to come up with the design and the finished product.

Project supervisor Sam Bucolo said it was the first time the students had taken an idea of this kind from concept to reality.

He said after observing the children, the aim was for students to come up with designs that would enhance a child's experience at the Starlight Express Room.

"First of all the students had to get into the mind space of children as end users and secondly they had to build their own project which involved project management skills and working within a budget and with technology," he said.

The whiteboard is made of timber and weighs 30 kilograms. Infrared sensors have replaced the keys of a keyboard and as a child's hand passes over the whiteboard, the sensors are activated and a tune plays.

Mr Bucolo said to help the children play notes, lights have been added to represent the virtual keys.

"The concept of linking sound to writing is quite simple but is very original and innovative when applied in this context," he said.

"The children love the whiteboard and the students have really gained an appreciation for working with an external client and with other professionals across disciplines.

"After seeing the delight on the children's faces, it also makes a lot more sense why you do design - it's not just another gadget, it actually has a societal benefit."

All students said the experience was invaluable.

"We've had a few projects which involved clients but none that went to the prototype stage. It was really useful to have a time limit and a budget - keeping an eye on costs and improvising to make sure the budget was met," Andrew Petersen said.

Mr Bucolo said the project was a rare opportunity for students and one which would put them in front of most other graduates in Australia.

State Manager of the Starlight Children's Foundation Julie Monaghan is thrilled with the latest edition to the room.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:10px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:1.6em;color:rgb(51,51,51);">"We strive to keep all our Starlight Express Rooms up to date with the latest technology and state-of-the-art entertainment equipment, and we know that this will be a huge hit with the children who visit this room," she said.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:10px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:1.6em;color:rgb(51,51,51);">

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:10px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:1.6em;color:rgb(51,51,51);">IMAGE: Captain Starlight and hospitalised children at the Mater Children's Hospital play with the new musical whiteboard.