Pupils from Richmond Park Academy have been named as finalists in a competition encouraging innovation in technology.

A team of pupils from the school faced off against entries from more than 800 young people, making it through to the final 40 in the Longitude Explorer Prize 2020.

The challenge called on young people aged 11-16 to invent tech solutions to some of the big challenges of our time (such as climate change, pollution and an ageing population), with the winning team being awarded £25,000 for their school or youth group in July.

The team’s LifeMosaic app helps young people learn about their own health and wellbeing.

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “It is incredible to see how these young finalists have thought up innovations to tackle global challenges, from devices that detect health problems to robots which can remove plastic waste from our seas.

"Technological innovation is important to grow the UK economy and we are supporting young people to pursue careers in this area through schemes like the Longitude Explorer Prize.”

Other game-changing ideas from other teams hoping to win include a robot fish that collects plastic from oceans and a t-shirt that detects heart problems, as well as a bin that automatically sorts rubbish for recyclables and an AI system to monitor and reduce traffic in busy city centres.

They will receive resources and expert mentoring to develop their concept ahead of a Dragons’ Den style pitch in July to win the Longitude Explorer Prize 2020.

Three runner-up teams will each also receive £10,000.