When Rebecca Young was just 11 years old, she noticed how difficult winter could be for people sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow.
Wanting to make a difference, the schoolgirl came up with an idea for a portable heated blanket that could keep people warm without needing access to electricity.
Her invention, which folds into a backpack and runs on solar power, caught the attention of engineers and eventually became a working prototype.
What started as a school competition entry has since earned international recognition and helped provide warmth to homeless people through charities across Scotland.How Rebecca Young invented a solar-powered heated blanketRebecca, a pupil at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, entered her design into the Primary Engineer competition, "If You Were an Engineer, What Would You Do?", which attracts around 70,000 entries from children across the UK each year.
Her concept stood out among thousands of submissions and caught the attention of defence and technology company Thales.Engineers at Thales' Glasgow facility worked closely with Rebecca to transform the concept into a fully functional prototype, which was unveiled in 2024.
