32 young inventors save the planet with their Coolest Projects

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Coolest Projects event could take place again at Technopolis. With this event, CoderDojo Belgium wants to encourage young people to develop ideas and products by means of coding and digitalization. CoderDojo wants to get young girls and boys excited about computers and technology. 32 participants presented their 23 projects during the 2022 edition of Coolest Projects. Prizes for original projects Many inventions caught the imagination, such as a solar panel that turns with the sun, an Autonomous Darts Robot that can play darts by itself and should eventually become better than the average person, or a digital learning board that should help teachers and students learn better. All three projects received awards. The People’s Choice Award – officially the Most Popular Project Award – went to « Red Je Wereld » (Save Your World) by Marcel Vanmoerbeke, Nolle Parent and Lukas Van Camp. These three friends worked together on a video game that they developed entirely themselves. This game offers three small games with which you can virtually take care of the planet.

The Coolest Project award went to « Our Planet, Our Impact » by Amaury Tiznado Yuksel. He developed a multilingual website where visitors can calculate their impact on the planet and receive tips on how to reduce their footprint. The Coolest Group Award went to the students of WICO in Lommel. They developed three projects: a bee counter, a tree felling detector and a forest fire detector. The next generation will save the world « It was great to see everyone in the flesh again after two years. We were thrilled to be able to feel all the enthusiasm again. This year’s theme was « Save the Planet » and we are confident that this new generation will do everything in their power to save the world, » says Cindy Smets, general manager of CoderDojo Belgium. The fact that Coolest Projects takes place in Technopolis is no coincidence. This place is the ultimate experimentation center for young inventors and brings children closer to technology and science. « Everyone can contribute to a better future and make a difference. I was already firmly convinced of this and today I saw it with my own eyes as a member of the jury », says Stephane Berghmans, CEO of Technopolis.