The Home Automation Challenge (HAC), which is taking place on Friday 12 July at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, will see teams of apprentices — from businesses, colleges and training providers — from across the country exhibit prototypes they have designed and manufactured to make a job in the home or garden easier.

This year, teams have been asked to design a device that helps people with disabilities to perform ‘day to day’ tasks. The 2019 prototypes on show at the finals include: an automated pizza cutter; an automated sweet dispenser; a face recognition cupboard lock; an automated irrigation system; and a ‘linear accessibility’ shelf.

Jason Yearsley, chairman of the HAC (www.imeche.org/events/challenges/hac-challenge), said: “The teams of the HAC never cease to impress.

Their hard work and ingenuity shine through, and the quality of the products produced improves year on year. I feel privileged to be involved in organising the challenge, thereby giving apprentices the opportunity to showcase and develop their talents.

"It has been very rewarding to hear how much the participants have enjoyed taking part and to hear about the skills they have had the chance to develop at an early stage in their careers.

"The apprentices of today are critical for the future of manufacturing and engineering, and the Home Automation Challenge demonstrates that the future is in great hands.”

For the first time, the Home Automation Challenge will be running a STEM out-reach programme. Students from local primary and secondary schools have been invited to come and meet the apprentices, view the prototypes and have a tour of the Manufacturing Technology Centre.

They will also be invited to take part in a range of STEM activities run by the MTC’s Tilly Shilling Programme — an initiative to promote diversity and inclusivity in engineering.