We're living in a new age of invention. Brilliant brains no longer just hold up in leading university labs or research facilities. Today, inventors are coming together in technology hubs like this to design, to help improve people's lives. It's actually working. That's so cool. For this series, we've brought together seven of the UK's leading engineers, designers and computer programmers. Ta-da! I'm gonna make myself the guinea pig. They'll use cutting edge science and technology to build life-changing solutions for people in desperate need. I don't know who to ask... or where to go. In pain, uncomfortable... From helping individuals who are seriously ill,... (BLOWS LOUDLY) Whoa! ...to solving issues affecting entire communities. Someone's either gonna get seriously injured and can't get aid, or someone's gonna die. They'll attempt to tackle major problems that have so far gone unsolved. I think I've created something really new and possibly revolutionary. The potential of this is massive. Fingers crossed nothing cracks or explodes. This week, they'll help a photographer with a life-threatening condition. I already bring attention to myself with my bandages. They'll attempt to bring cutting-edge communication to a remote Welsh village. Why should we be excluded? They'll work to give some control back to a young designer with Parkinson's disease. Anything that you could to that would just make my hand do what I want it to do. I'm Simon Reeve. Over the next nine months, I'll be working with this brilliant team. If they succeed, they could change these people's lives and the lives of many more. (SHOUTS) (LAUGHS) Yeah! (LAUGHS) This is the best thing that could ever happen for us. Keep going! Keep going! Keep going! Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 Our team's base is in East London. Known as a makerspace, it's one of a national network of inventor's hubs crammed full of the latest technology. It's from here that our seven leading inventors will attempt to create fixes for people with nowhere else to turn. Yeah, I'm really excited about what we're gonna learn. I can't wait to meet these people. The team includes a director from Microsoft, engineers who worked at Dyson's innovation labs, award-winning designers who've built everything from ambulances to earthquake sensors. Yeah, right. Let's get our sleeves rolled up and get stuck in. Jude Pullen has been chosen to lead the first case ` helping a passionate photographer with a condition that seriously affects his life. Have you always been a maker? I first thing I remember, because there was a photograph of it, is I made a hotel for birds. A hotel for birds? A hotel for birds. How old were you? I think I was 6. Jude is an award-winning design engineer. He's worked closely with the NHS, designed firefighting robots and even mini space-pods. Oh, wow! Amazing. Cool van, James. Very impressed to see you out and driving. Thanks. We've come to Merseyside to meet 22-year-old James Dunn. (WHIRRING) Can you tell us a little bit about your condition, James? Yeah, yeah. So, it's called epidermolysis bullosa. And it's a genetic skin condition,... (BEEPING) ...which causes my skin to fall off and blister and scar with friction, and because I'm missing the collagen in my skin, which is basically the glue. Is it sort of particularly unique for people with your condition to drive? I was the first one in a wheelchair with EB to drive... Wow. ...in this country. That's amazing. Yeah. Because I'm quite strong-minded, I knew I wanted to do it, so I was gonna do it. (LAUGHS) Do you mean strong-minded as in stubborn? Yeah, yeah, sometimes. The thing with my condition is it's all about taking my mind off the pain. Yeah. I mean, in the difficulties in life, that's what we live for ` distraction, distracting me from reality, basically. James loves photography, but 12 years ago, the skin between his fingers started fusing together. Now he's completely lost the use of his hands and can no longer operate a camera. He's hoping Jude can help. We've come to James' home where he lives with his mum and dad to see some of his work. Pleased to meet ya. Nice to meet ya. Nice to meet ya. I'm Leslie. Nice to meet ya. Jude. Hello, Leslie. Simon. Lovely to meet you. Thank you for letting us come in. Simon, do you mind turning it on? I haven't got one of these. EB is a rare and potentially terminal condition. Do you wanna see one I'm really proud of? Yes. Not for any reason, just cos I think it's a really good photo. You can still see people there in the background even though they're not in focus, you can see them going about their life. Who do you take pictures for? Mainly myself and memories, I think. Memories are important because, obviously with the terminal illness, you're not gonna live a full life; it's gonna be a short life, so while I'm here, it's about having fun making memories and leaving something behind, like, leaving... memories for other people to look at. Do bandages? Yeah. Sure. OK. How often do you have to do this, James? Every other day. I know he's going to feel a lot better afterwards. Afterwards. So I think that's what keeps me going. James is in permanent chronic pain. He wears protective dressings all over his body to prevent blisters, which can cause infection and skin cancers. Sorry. It's OK. Is it only Mum who does it? Yeah, I only let her do it. Don't let anyone` I'll do that one. We laugh about it. Do other people laugh about it with EB, yeah? Yeah, we just laugh about it. Sometimes, I can't pull your skin off, can I? Yeah. So that's why I'm gettin' slow. Sometimes you what? I can't pull the skin off, so... Have to be very careful. The bandages, the reason they're so specialist is because you can't use it with a decent sticky stuff. WHISPERS: Ow. Sorry. You must feel your body lets you down. Yeah. I do. That's it. Honestly, that's it. You've hit the nail on the head. I do. I just wish` I've got the brain of a normal person. I wish I had the body of a normal person. You haven't got the brain of a normal person ` you're far more mature and creative and thoughtful than the average person. You're certainly a lot more mature than the average 22-year-old, I would humbly suggest. Thank you. You know, what you've` To develop to that stage, frankly, as a person, with everything you've gone through at the same time is... it's unimaginable. All right? All set? Yeah. Yeah. The only way James can now take pictures is with the help of his dad, Kenny. Morning. Morning. Come on, then, Dad. Let's see it. Step up to the plate Right, let's just see. Move this down. (SHUTTER CLICKS) So, this is really helpful for me, James, cos I'm understanding what parts of the camera you interact with. A top-of-the-range SLR camera takes a lot of setting up. Feel free to bicker. You know, I have a sense that this is what you sometimes do. No, I'm just keepin' quiet before he starts shoutin' at me. Then zoom in. Back, back, back to CA again. Back, back that way. Right. It's been a good five minutes, and James and Kenny still haven't taken any pictures. OK, now that's the menu I want. It's quite a process, isn't it, Kenny? Oh, yeah, yeah. And turn that wheel again. That wheel. James, does it hurt you to touch the controls? Yeah. Really does. It really does? Yeah. And buttons are kind of fiddly, aren't they? Very. They're very small on cameras. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) So, I noticed you've got a little pedal down here. Yeah. How much control would you say you have? With my feet? Lots. What are your first thoughts, Jude? I'd say clearly there's no doubt` This is not about saying, 'Why can't he just use a smartphone?' James described how, even for the pain, it recedes when he's immersed in the creative process. It's really about sort of improving the way of his life physically and creatively. Quite literally jealous. The challenge for Jude now is to design a way for James to take photos using his own camera. It's a very profound experience to be welcomed into someone's life, who quite obviously is coping with so much adversity, but coming through it in such a way that has so much spirit and so much resilience and so much ambition that you can't help but feel inspired and motivated. If there's any pressure in this project, it's hoping that you deliver something that is meaningful. It's a hell of a day. And I'm sure it'll stay with me,... and I'll be thinking about it for a long time. 1 Our next case is being taken on by inventors Ryan and Ross. Ross Atkin is an award-winning product designer and engineer. He's worked on projects for Stannah Stairlifts and Transport for London. He even designs smart technology for cities of the future. Ryan White is an electronics engineer originally from Canada. He's built deep-sea robots, but his real passion is giving people the technology to build and fix things for themselves. (UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Look! Look at that hill ` it's like a crumpled pillow. I guess it reminds me of home cos it's absolutely beautiful. (CHUCKLES) Oh, it's wanting me to turn right here. Should I turn right here? This is it. Yeah. Yeah, we need to go. We're actually here. We're heading to a small village called Staylittle in Central Wales ` a community that's cut off from the modern world. It's known as a 'notspot' ` an area with terrible internet and phone reception. We've called a meeting with the residents in the village hall. - Who here has a mobile phone? - (MAN CHUCKLES) Who here has a mobile phone that actually works regularly and you can rely on? Who can make a call right now? So almost everybody has a mobile phone, but only three people, I think, have one that actually works. Whose landline does not work regularly, per year? Wow. Yeah, that's a big thing for Staylittle. Do you get angry about it? (LAUGHTER) Frustrated, I think, isn't it? I mean, it's frustration rather than anger. I have to contact my carer. I do need her to have a line I can reach her at any time. Who needs the internet? (CHUCKLES) It's the things like` For my daughter here, she's 9, and my family are getting older. Homework ` I can't get online for basic information about Victorians a couple of weeks ago. I can't do that, and that's not helping my children's education. Increasingly, there's a lot of things you have to do that you can only do online. Yeah, but when you look at the rest of Britain has it ` why should we be excluded from that? With the meeting over, we head out to investigate. The first problem here is the landline. The infrastructure was built an age ago. It definitely can't support the internet, and the villagers are struggling to make phone calls with it. Mrs Bucknell has experienced the problems first-hand. It happened once when we flooded. What did you do? We had to wait for people to come down, and we says, 'Well, we haven't got a phone to tell anybody.' You know, water was all round us and just coming through the front door. Oh my God. Oh, wow. Yeah. (LAUGHS) The first issue is the landlines, but the team can't just lay new phone cables because the cost is enormous. Second is mobile phone reception. Welsh hills and the lack of phone masts mean its often nigh impossible to get connected. Challenge number one would be my daughter Ellen. Mum Amanda thinks it's putting her children's health at risk. About 2-year-old, we had what they thought at the time was an asthmatic attack, which now has been proved to be an anaphylactic reaction. Oh, wow. Within an hour, after a nap, we had breathing difficulties and various things, had to be rushed. We've had to go into hospital. We've relied on an air ambulance. We're under the care of dermatology, a paediatrician and an ophthalmologist, aren't we? So we rely quite heavily on communication. Where are they located? But the biggest issue for many here is the internet. Internet connection ` it is just pathetic. People need the internet for paying taxes, shopping homework, but broadband internet is almost non-existent here. What should be done in 10 minutes will take three quarters of a hour. (KNOCK ON DOOR) The village of Staylittle is not alone. For big phone operators, small villages are just not a commercial priority. ROSS: Shall I call my mum? RYAN: Yeah, you call your mum. Come on. You got a tone? It doesn't sound like a phone that works. No. Why does it say 'email, text, phone' on the top? And that's a sticker that someone's put on there. Is it a joke? In fact, there are 80,000 notspots across the UK, affecting millions of people. It's an enormous issue for rural businesses and households across the country. We head to London to report back to the rest of the team. Why is it that Wales hasn't got this? How is this not happening? Why is this a thing? I'm slightly bemused. The mind boggles at this. I can't believe that this is a problem right now. It's just... Why? How? It's such a small island where we are. Even in Australia, we have phone booths with solar panels on top in the middle of the desert. I mean, back in Canada ` tiny coastal communities similar to this, less than 100 people live there, and it's still there, and it works, and it's reliable all the time. In fact, all of Staylittle's communication problems can be solved if they have the internet. Villagers can surf the web and make phone calls over the net. But how will the team bring the internet to a remote village? Around the world, tech companies are spending millions tackling the same problem. Google have tried floating huge balloons over New Zealand to create a wireless network. Facebook have been flying vast solar-powered internet drones. The team's budget doesn't extend quite that far, but can they come up with something better? Three weeks after meeting James the photographer, Jude is back in London, working on the camera. This is, if you like, my little mini workshop where the magic happens. I got my computer. I got my 3D printer. I got a prototyping map. First thing to acknowledge is I am not a professional photographer. I am looking at this massively complex, button-covered machine with a certain amount of trepidation. Jude is working on the same make of camera that James has. It has hundreds of options. I mean, it's like the ISO, the zoom, the focus, the menu, aperture priority. I mean, the list of complexity on this thing is just huge. (SQUEAKING) So that was just using a little bit of isopropyl alcohol, which is gonna help this stuff stick to it. Jude is using mouldable silicon putty to make the fiddly buttons more user-friendly for James. I noticed James actually had a foot pedal on the bottom of his wheelchair, and so I've taken that to not just auto-focus, but also take a picture. Next, he's creating a pedal system that will allow James to quickly take a photo. My concern is that this is requiring quite... a bit of force. Finally, he's tackling the zoom, which is impossible for James to control. He's going to build James a custom zoom controller. So, we designed something in this programme here. I'm just about to 3D print it to this little orange machine in the background here. And at the minute, the flashing light means it's thinking about it. I think this machine is smarter than I am, as I am so tired. So here goes. And so in about 20 minutes later, and about... I guess five pence later, we'll have a part for James. 3D printers squeeze molten plastic through a tiny nozzle, creating slices that build and stick together from the bottom up. These machines can now be bought for a few hundred pounds and are being used to build everything from prosthetic hands to car parts. So,... just comes off. This bit isn't needed any more, and this is the piece. Good to see ya. Good to see you too. How are you? Well, to be honest, I'm quite nervous and excited. I hope that he's gonna see that... James and his mum, Leslie, have come down to London to try out some of Jude's early ideas. Hello. Oh, a hug as well. Hello. How are ya? I'm good, thank you. Lovely to see you. Hey, James. How's it going? Hey. Good. Good to see ya. What I have is... you might find some of these a little easier to press. So this isn't the end result. This is for you and me to learn what works. Do you wanna try switching it on? Yeah. So you know your on button. (CLICK!) Well, that's a good start. Wow. So you can actually get one. Can you, yeah? So, I made this little 3D print. So, basically that just holds in with a little bit of Blu-Tack. And I think, to be honest, this is a bit ridiculously big. I think you're not gonna struggle. So you wanna push the other way. That's it. Jude is trying out different levers to find one that James can operate with the least amount of pain. Try the smaller end, and be honest if it's a bit too firm. That's firmer than the other one. Yeah. So that's the middle. It feels a lot... Is that doable? Nah, the big one. The big one's better. Yeah. OK. So, the final bit ` you're probably hoping I would have spend more money on this, but these are basically typists' foot pedals. Auto-focus. Wow. Jesus. (CHUCKLES) (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) That's amazing, that. How someone with intelligence can just do it. This is really only about �10 to make this. All up? But it was what was up here as well. Yeah, of course. And that's priceless. (LAUGHS) Now Jude wants to see if his prototypes work, so we're off on a tour of the street art of East London. Absolutely, and you've got to see what you like and what works on the camera and feed back to Jude. Be tough on him. He can take it. He can. He's in third gear. (HIP-HOP MUSIC) That's cool. And so is that. That is fantastic. Look at that. Wow. Oh, you've got a nice shot there. See, I thought that was good. I don't know if this is possible. A photographer doesn't always take pictures in landscape. Ooh. (CHUCKLES) That is an extremely good point. Yeah. Sometimes, he wants to turn the camera. The battery on the camera keeps dying, and James is unable to change it himself. Yeah. Go up a bit. So, we should give the screen a rest, cos I think that uses a lot of battery. I do honestly, like, look like the part as well. Like, with big things sticking off the camera and that ` it doesn't look great. Yeah. So, like` That sounds harsh, doesn't it? No, no, no. I see what you're saying. I already bring attention to myself with my bandages, so... So give it a score out of 10, and then we can check again. I can't possibly do that. I'm not... (JUDE AND SIMON LAUGH) Definitely above five because I can use my camera. Above five. Yeah. All right. Simon, you're too straight. At the moment, James can't rotate the camera. Some of Jude's additions are too bulky, and the batteries are running out far too quickly. There's a lot of work to do. The thing that is, you know, to be honest, a little bit scary, is that James is no pushover, and I'm gonna have to really work to take it to the level that he's genuinely really impressed with, and that he's` will be able to immerse himself in the art form. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) (HAMMER THUDS) (SAW WHIZZES) (CHUCKLES) All right. You ready? (GASPS) (GENTLE MUSIC SWELLS) So that's how he's getting in. 1 The next case for our team is to help a talented young designer whose illness is affecting her career. Computer scientist Haiyan Zhang will lead the project. Her work includes designing cutlery for disabled people, and even panic buttons for use in hostile environments. Currently, she's a director of innovation at Microsoft research. What are you hoping to find out today? I think on the first visit, it's really just getting to know her. What she's like. And seeing where you might be able to fit in with your expertise and help. Yeah, exactly. We've come to a busy design agency in London to meet 32-year-old Emma Lawton, a successful graphic designer. What does a creative director do in a company like this? We often to branding. We do, sort of, some print work. I sit around all day and colour things in ` that's what I tell people. (LAUGHTER) Emma has Parkinson's. It's relatively common among the over-60s. Emma developed the condition when she was just 29. Currently, there's no cure. OK. All right. I'm gonna try and replicate this here. We're off to a great start (!) Emma's not expecting a miracle cure from Haiyan, but she'd like help dealing with symptoms of Parkinson's. Many sufferers find their limbs become more rigid, and they experience tremors. I tend to kind of just avoid doing sketching and writing now, because it's just` it's not really worth it if you get something like that. It's like... Anything that you could do that would just make my hand do what I want it to do... Yeah. ...and to be able to sign my name would be an incredible thing. Things like that are really important to me to be able to kind of express myself through writing. How integral is drawing to your job? It's important to me as a person and as a designer that I can do it. Personally and professionally. Personally and professionally. This isn't just a job. This is who I am. We're heading to Emma's home to find out more about how Parkinson's has affected her life. Thank you. How did your family take the diagnosis? In very different ways. My mum works in, sort of, learning disabilities and things like that, so she's incredibly practical in a crisis. And I know that she got incredibly upset about it, and she just didn't show me that. She was there for hugs when I needed it, but she went into battle-plan mode, and I needed her to do that because I wasn't ready to do that myself. My dad, I think, was upset that he couldn't fix it, and I think it's taken him a long time to realise that we can't actually solve it. We just have to live with it and do the best that we can. Hello. Hello. Hello. Emma's been with her boyfriend, Shram, for the last three years. Nice to meet you. Simon. Hi. Nice to meet you. Can you give us an idea of how important drawing and being able to create thing son a page is to her? I think one of the things that she wants to do is just feel like everybody else, do the things that everybody else does on a day-to-day basis. Obviously, she's honest about it. You know, it's the little things that keep you human, as it were. Yeah, doing the day-to-day things that we normally do. If she could do just simply writing, that would give her more, and drawing, obviously, you know, is really important to her from a creative perspective, so I think it would just open so much more up for her that to an extent, she may have thought she'll never be able to do again. Over the next two weeks, Haiyan juggles her full-time job and her newborn baby with researching solutions that could help to get Emma writing and drawing again. So, I met with this really interesting Oxford professor of physics who I was chatting with about this particular challenge with Emma. Haiyan experiments with pens that are adapted to reduce tremors, but they're not quite good enough for what Emma needs. So she starts developing her own ideas. I've got a whole bunch of experiments to try out. She's invited Emma to her office in Cambridge. It's all super rough, so I'm not expecting any answers. No, it looks good. I just wanna kind of observe you doing more different kinds of writing and drawing. This is a pantograph. It is a children's toy,... Yeah. ...but it's also a professional design tool. Yeah. I've tried to cheat a little bit by adding in slightly more rigid hinges,... Yeah. ...so that it's trying to dampen... Ah, clever. ...your movement a little bit. So, I mean, I don't know. Let's try it. First, she tries to steady Emma's hand by increasing the drag of the pen,... It's actually probably magnifying the shakes. You would think it would dampen it down, but it actually sort of magnifies it. Yeah. Let's move on to something much more experimental. Well, it started out thinking about this phenomenon that happens when a magnet is rolling off an aluminium surface. OK. So it does weird things like this. Sliding. Because basically, an opposing magnetic force is being created around the magnet, so it's just slowing down the slide. ...then she uses magnets to create a resistance. You know, if we slide... Can I start over this way a little bit? It was giving me too much... Yeah, sure, just slide it around. Yeah? Yep. This writing pad comes with me to just, like, hold the magnet underneath. (CHUCKLES) Oh! Sorry. OK, don't` (CHUCKLES) What did you say? 'Don't lift the pen.' (CHUCKLES) But at the end of the tests, Emma's control of the pen is still poor. How do we even just begin to help her overcome this particular symptom of her tremors and helping her be able to regain her writing ability, her drawing ability? You know, I don't think we're ever going to get that back 100%. You know, my challenge is` I mean, it's immense. Back in London, Jude has been adapting James' camera. For the last three months, he's spent every spare moment working on it. So, this is a new piece of kit for me. This is a power converter. First, Jude wants to power the camera directly from James' electric wheelchair, so the camera battery will last for as long as James is out and about. So, what we're gonna do is transform the power down from his wheelchair battery and use this little, if you like, dummy battery. And it's gonna take us from James' wheelchair voltage down to a voltage which is normally in these batteries. Yeah! (LAUGHS) He's abandoning the clunky manual levers he's designed, and instead, he's building a remote control zoom. That is an aerial, a Bluetooth module. He turns to electronics expert Ross for help. And what we're gonna do there to control it is use this little computer called an Arduino. Together, they write a computer program to control the camera's zoom from a phone or a tablet. ROSS: So, then, yeah, click 'Open'. Right. You've got an app, Jude. So, if I press this,... (CLICKING) ...it'll go one way. And if we press this,... (CLICKING) ...it'll go the other way. So, I've been trying to work through the gear ratios. Gear design is pretty complex. He then plans and 3D prints new supports, gears and casings for the final design. (BABY CRIES IN BACKGROUND) And so that is my lovely newborn baby son, and also been managing that project as well as this project. And when the build is finished, it's time to deliver the final camera design to James. How are you feeling about today? Uh,... a little bit apprehensive. This is a genuine form of therapeutic pain relief for James. It's quite nerve-racking to see whether the design fits what he was looking for. If Jude's design works,... Hiya. Hello! Hello, Leslie! Hey, James. Hiya. ...it'll be the first time that photographer James can take a photo unaided in more than two years. Hi. Good, thanks. You? James, somebody's been working very hard for you. Yeah, I can see. It's not me, that's for sure. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) He's a little bit nervous. There's many things I'd do differently, but I still think it's gonna really` it's really gonna change the game for you. Thanks. And so, I'm excited. Oh! So... Let's get it out. Come on, I'm very excited to see. Aren't you, James? Yeah. So, this is the... I think we need to get it all out. Wow. This is the drive unit, and so, you see, this little board has been designed just for you. This new system will allow James to control the camera from his tablet computer without causing him any pain. Gonna look so cool, Simon. I am totally with you. I can't wait to see. It looks, like, futuristic and techy. (SIMON AND JUDE LAUGH) He's too modest to say he has created an app for you. Wow. In the App Store, you have an app, basically. In the App Store? Yeah. James can now zoom, focus and take pictures independently through an app especially designed for him called Zocus. We tried to make it so it isn't lots of draggy movements, cos obviously your skin doesn't want to have to slide all day. That's gonna get painful. You know, when we were out on the shoot, we were running through the batteries really fast. Very quick, yeah. Nice thing is you can power this 24/7. Nice. JAMES' DAD: My gosh, what have we got here? Look at that. It looks, like, so futuristic. LESLIE: Oh my goodness, James. Does that mean I'm made redundant, then? Thank God, yeah. Right, James. Please, please. Let's hope so. Thank you so much. JUDE: That's all right. Oh God, thank you. Thank you so much. It's OK. Aw. Oh, you're amazing. Cheers. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Oh my God, James. JAMES: Are you crying? What are you feelin', Leslie? I just... I just` I don't know. It's... It's nice how people are taking time out to help. And now he will be able to have his own independence again, doing something he loves. The thing is when he's doing his photography, his mind does get blank to his pain. It feels amazing. Like, it's life-changing. Yeah, I can't thank you enough. And I am so proud to` You know, when he's going to be out photographing all the type of things he wants to do. He comes back and shows me the pictures ` oh, I can't wait. I really can't wait. It's gonna make his life so much better. Thank you. JUDE: Yeah. That's it. He's... He's off. It's nice not to be` If you notice, I haven't intervened, pressed any buttons. No. It's just been great. Yeah, you've done something really, really magnificent. It's just amazing to see it working now. Thing is you know you're doing it for the right reasons, so you just keep going, and it goes wrong, and you restart and try again. You talked very movingly at one point about how you loved photography because it gave you a chance to leave a legacy. Yeah. Is that what this is gonna enable you to do? Yeah. Yeah, memories, as I've said in the past about my pictures, and I want... Yeah, I want people to... remember that` that this is what I enjoyed and this is where I find` found my happiness. You can sort of curate what you want other people to remember you by. Yeah, definitely. That will be amazing. The team are still on the hunt for an affordable way to bring 21st century communication to the village of Staylittle. More excitement because I have a Mesh Potato. Ross thinks he may have found the answer to the village's ancient phone lines and almost non-existent internet. It's a piece of kit from South Africa with the catchy name of a Mesh Potato. When you install one in your house and your neighbours have one too, it creates a link between you. Gonna plug it into the wall. You can phone and share the internet with them. Each time someone new installs a Mesh Potato, they also join the network. Before long, there's a communication mesh across the village. The Mesh Potato uses the same technology as your internet router or Wi-Fi hub at home. (PHONE RINGS) Oh my God. Hello? It's working. It's actually working. That's so cool. I've basically built a phone network. But first, Ross and Ryan must persuade the villagers to let them install their Potatoes. Morning. Good morning, everybody. A lot of the kit they're working with is cutting-edge technology. So Ross, why don't you explain? The underlying bit of infrastructure is this. It's got an amazing name. It's called a Mesh Potato. (LAUGHTER) You're not dependent on a telecoms company to install it and maintain it. You switch it on, and it connects to any other Mesh Potatoes that it can see. In the back of them, they have a port that says 'Phone'. So I've got one here. (CHUCKLES) Some of us remember those phones. So, basically,... You need to pick it up first, man. Yeah, I know. Good. (LAUGHTER) I pick it up... - Is it`? Does the dial not turn? - (PHONE RINGS) Oh, good. Hey! Hey, Ryan. How's it going? What's going on, man? Yeah, I'm cool. (CHUCKLES) How are you doing? Yeah, good. He's from Canada, sorry. It's great to speak to you. So, are you willing, then, that we could all connect up and phone each other when the landlines went down, so that if somebody was ill, they could phone somebody. See, that sounds like a brilliant idea to me. That's what I was really, really hoping you'd say. That's the other question. This is connected all together here. What about connecting to the big, wide world? What we're proposing as a network that we wanna build can grow. It can grow to include people that are further away from the village, and it can also grow, eventually, to places where there is a decent internet connection. You're talking about connecting people up within the village, and then connecting the village up with the outside world. Is that fair to say? Exactly. At this stage, you don't really know what is capable with the kit. So you don't know. You're gonna try your best, but... We're gonna do some tests tomorrow. There are limitations in what we can do. 18 homes sign up to Ryan and Ross' plan to establish a localised phone and internet network. We're having fun. This is a fun thing. What I love about it is it's so democratic. It's like we are literally building a telecommunications company, basically ` a full telecommunications infrastructure. With building and everything. With, like, you know, stuff that you can just buy for, you know, tens of pounds. Like, that's amazing. How are you going to resolve that really crucial element, which is getting the internet into the community? So, we need to find out where around here we can get a decent internet connection on the cellular network. And then pipe it in some way from there to here. Yeah. To bring the internet to the village, just one Mesh Potato needs to be connected to a strong cellular internet signal. That signal can then be shared with everyone in the network. So we're going on a hunt to find the strongest signal in this vast valley. So, we've lost the tower. This one on Talkmobile lost the tower about` Oh no, we got one now. The Vodafone one has a tower again. RYAN: I have lost all hope. Really? Driving through it in this thing and up and down ` I've lost all hope of getting... You've just chucked them out the window back there. Literally, they might as well be back in London. (SLOW ELECTRONIC MUSIC) The team are back in London, talking through the ideas to help Parkinson's patient Emma deal with her tremors. Design director, creative director, for goodness sake, and she can't express herself the way that she wants to. It must be so difficult. I think we all would love to support her and help her maintain that optimism. Absolutely. I mean, we live in a very technological age, but I still carry a pen and paper with me everywhere I go and use it everyday. Haiyan has been researching what's on the market already for Parkinson's patients. Have you guys recently seen this project where someone's made a spoon? It actually counteracts the tremors you get from Parkinson's, so the spoon actually vibrates in opposition to how your hand might be shaking. And therefore, it's steady, applies an opposite force to your tremors. So it keeps soup on the spoon? Exactly. Taking inspiration from the spoon, Haiyan goes away to experiment with vibrations. So, what I'm doing is I'm making a very rough prototype. And what this board does is I can connect into it through these wires these tiny coin-cell motors. So these motors will vibrate, and they're used in your mobile phone to give you that buzz. Scientists believe that the brains of Parkinson's patients are constantly sending out false signals which can make the hands tremor. Some patients have reduced their tremors by distracting the brain with sounds or vibrations ` a bit like tricking your brain into focusing on something else. Hello. Hi, I'm Alison. Hi, Alison. I'm Haiyan. Haiyan's keen to test the theory on a focus group of Parkinson's sufferers. I'm Guy. I was diagnosed just over a year ago. I was diagnosed just under a year ago. Well, I've had Parkinson's for 11 and a half years. That makes the challenge difficult for you, I imagine, if everybody's got different symptoms at different stages. Anything to help tremors would be wonderful. Many say the tremors are the worst aspect of Parkinson's. On the page, write your name, and also maybe draw, like, a square box. WOMAN: Oh, that's not good, is it? (EXHALES HEAVILY) Oh, it gets worse. So, the idea is that if you are distracted by the vibration, are you able to write better? I don't know. Will it? I don't know. (CHUCKLES) So let's try it. There are six vibrating motors embedded in the wristband, and Haiyan can adjust the speed and strength of each one. I think that` Ooh! The aim is to find a sweet spot ` the right frequency and intensity that Haiyan thinks might distract the brain and reduce the tremors. It feels quicker. I wanna go quicker. I feel more comfortable with it. Oh, yeah? Huh. But I don't know if the end result is that much better. It's affecting something. I don't quite know what's happening. Something is going on with it. It feels` It feels easier. Yeah? I'm not sure that the result is any different. Is that quite fast now? It feels it. Yeah. Does it feel better or worse? I think it might not be better. It's not better, no. But then changing the pattern of vibration seems to be having an effect. Yes, as Gaynor said, it feels` you can go a bit faster. Do you think it's about changing the rhythm on the vibrations? Might be changing the rhythm. I mean, the pulse would have to be adapted to each person, I presume. Right, right. Yeah. That's interesting. I think there's certainly potential there. Yeah. I personally think that what this is doing is it's short-circuiting whatever feedback loop there is between the brain and the hand that's causing the tremors. So it's sort of injecting in there some white noise that's causing the brain to stop sending those signals to continue with the tremors. I mean, that's what I think. So, it's` I mean, it's just really` I think I'm on to something, right? I'm on to something. 1 Back in Wales, Ryan and Ross are still hunting for an internet signal. They've tacked a router and antennae to the roof of the car and are driving around the valley. They're trying to sniff out an internet signal that's strong enough to beam down to the village of Staylittle. We wrote an app last night. Here. The idea is basically that we sort of drive around, and hopefully we're able to record automatically where we got a decent internet connection. When it makes a success, the top of the screen will turn green. We've got the model here as well. So, right now, we're about here. Their homemade app will notify them every time they get lucky. RYAN: Ah. (BAAS) Hang on. I'm getting nothing. I'm getting` Oh, I'm getting something. But what that means is the internet here is not good enough to do anything. No, no, I agree, so let's keep going up the hill. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Nothing. Oh, I got success. Success! Success. Can see the village. You can see everything. Just under a mile outside the village, they've hit the jackpot ` a very strong cellular internet signal. What's really convenient is that we're parked right next to a big post. So basically, we could stick a base station up here that then can bridge between the Mesh network that we build in Staylittle and the wider internet, and we can do it with reasonable bandwidth that's good enough to make a phone call out to the regular phone line. Man, what a change from yesterday, eh? This is it. I mean, this is the most important part of the fix. If this doesn't work, we might as well go home. With the help of a couple of satellite engineers, they install kit that will capture the strong signal and beam the connection down to the village. It's all yours, guys. Are we trying to hit, uh...? I'll show you. You see there's a rooftop just sticking over the top of the hill there ` that's the community centre. Hello. Morning. Ross starts planting Mesh Potatoes around the village, giving each one a unique address so they're ready to receive the internet signal from high up on the hill. (DRILL WHIRRS) Signal strength is 100%, man. (CHUCKLES) It's gonna work! If I log in to this IP address... Disappointing. SOFTLY: That's disappointing. (THUNDER RUMBLES) As the weather sets in, there's a problem. Ross and Ryan have promised the villagers internet and phone by the morning, but their connection isn't reaching the village. Definitely something wrong with the Mesh Potato. I think it got reset while we were configuring it. So now it's sort of in la-la land. EXHALES HEAVILY: OK. One of the transmitters at the top of the post is faulty, but it's 18 feet off the ground. ROSS ON RT: OK, but the pointer's pointing... up. Up as in very high up so if it's not working, we're screwed. Can't feel my hands. Nothing works. I'm cold. It's windy. And... Ross keeps talking to me, and he's really happy. (CHUCKLES) That sheep is lookin' at me. What do you want? Internet? I'm workin' on it, all right. SOFTLY: I don't wanna go back up the goddam ladder. (WIND BLOWS) Oh. ROSS ON RT: Can't see anything, so I think we've gotta pack up. I really don't want to, but OK. I agree. It's gonna run. That's what I've thought this whole time. (CHUCKLES) That's what I've thought this whole time. And now you don't. I'm... Yeah. (GUITAR MUSIC) (SHEEP BAA) (DRILL WHIRRS) The next morning, I join Ross and Ryan for a grand unveiling of Staylittle's cutting-edge communication network, but it's not looking good. So that is the long-distance connection that's essential? And I'm gonna try and get that up right now. WHISPERS: OK, wow. There's a problem in Endaf's barn. The Mesh Potato installed here should receive the internet signal first and then beam it to the houses. If it doesn't, no one gets the internet. So, your priority now, just to be clear, is to talk to the Mesh Potato on the pole. That's right. OK, so I've gotta make the address clash between this and the thing on the pole. It's just difficult. It's just really friggin' difficult. RYAN ON RT: You on 12, Ross? Uh, copy that. Our Nanostation is on 12. I see ya! Seriously? Wicked. Well done, Ryan. (CHUCKLES) What have you done? I got Google in the barn. He's done it! He's just accessed the internet, and he's got a web page. There you go. All right. I'm looking for the Wi-Fi. It's come up almost immediately. READS: Palace wall scaled by convicted killer. (CHUCKLES) That's impressive. That is impressive. This is actually working. Thanks very much, guys. OK. (WOMAN CHUCKLES) Aw, man hugs. (LAUGHTER) Hello. Congratulations. Congratulations to you as well, man. Nice work, dude. Say 'Well done.' Yay! Right on in. Yes. I'd say have a lie down in the sun, and have a rest for a bit,... No, we've got work to do. No, no, no, no, no. ...but you haven't got time. With the system now live, Ross and Ryan begin visiting the residents to deliver phone lines and the internet. Your phone line here is actually down, right? Yeah. You haven't been able to call your mum for a couple of days. No. And this will be the first time you're calling her. That's right. (BEEPING) (PHONE LINE DIALS) WOMAN: Hello? Hi, Mum. Hello, Mum. It's David. No, I'm not ill. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) OK. It's top of the world. It's fantastic. Over the moon with both of ya. (PHONE RINGS) Hello? (CHUCKLES) We're connected. Yep. Loud and clear. Awesome. (SQUEALS) Rugby. WOMAN: There you go. Look, can you see? Oh, yeah. Hello, Marion. This is Nerys here. I'm ringing you with a new system, and it's great. It's working. So, can you see we've got Staylittle Telecom. Oh, yeah. Very impressive. Very impressive. Hi, Martin. MAN: Hello! Ah! Hurray! (CHUCKLES) Been really, really hard. It's been a bit scrappy, but it's` Fundamentally, the key elements are in and working. What's the cost per household? Uh, round about �100 per household. Well, that's not too bad. That's for the kit. For the kit. That's just for the kit. And what about the ongoing costs? It's gonna be about 15 or 20 quid per household per year. Wow. That's cheap ` for an emergency backup phone service and basic access to the internet. (LAUGHS) It's pretty good. That's astonishing. Group hug. (LAUGHS) (GENTLE MUSIC) Back in London, Haiyan is ready to present her final design. She hopes it will help Emma overcome her Parkinson's tremors. I'm excited and nervous, for sure. What are you nervous about? Well, I think I've created something really new and possibly revolutionary. Wow. But I'm not completely sure. But is it actually going to work for her? That is the big question. As a top graphic designer, Emma's desperate to be able to write and draw again. I'm so glad to have gotten this opportunity to work with you and maybe to help you out a little bit. Emma. I'm immediately very intrigued. I get really shaky when I'm excited or nervous. (CHUCKLES) And now you're both. I am both, yeah. (GASPS, CHUCKLES) I don't even know what it is, but it's awesome. Haiyan has now incorporated her vibrating wrist technology into a bespoke watch. She's also built an app for Emma, which allows her to adjust the settings. This is the first time Emma's used it. Ooh! Whoa. Has it started up? Yeah. I mean, how are you feeling? What are you feeling when you're wearing it? It's making my hand feel less stiff. Immediately? I'm actually still tremoring, but... my hand feels more relaxed. It's kind of distracting it a little bit, I think. It feels soothing. And... I` Sorry. (CHUCKLES LIGHTLY) I'm just excited. That's wonderful, isn't it? Let's try something. SOFTLY: Jesus Christ. Oh my God. (CHUCKLES, SOBS) Did it just work? (EMMA SOBS, LAUGHS) Oh my God. I'm all smudgy because I'm too excited. That's one of the most extraordinary things I've seen. It's still doing it a little bit, but that's to be expected. Crikey. Emma, you just wrote your name. I know. Twice. It wasn't a fluke. (CHUCKLES) It wasn't, like, a first-time lucky. And I'm so emotional ` in the middle of the day with minimal medication... When was the last time that you were able to do that? Three years ago, maybe. Oh, wow. She came up with something rev... You can't do that. Yeah, I can. (CHUCKLES) You just drew a straight line. (CHUCKLES) I haven't drawn one of them for a long time. It makes me forget that I have a tremor. Oh my God. (GENTLE MUSIC) (SOBS) (CHUCKLES) (DULL VIBRATIONS) I can feel it vibrating on your knee now, isn't it? (LAUGHTER) I'm so glad it worked. (LAUGHTER) I was so scared about putting my pen on the paper. I'm so glad it worked. I didn't want to ruin it. Look at this. Oh my God. Haiyan thought this might help. Like, 10%. Like, 20%. This is, like` I think this is 80%. I was gonna go up to 90. Jesus. Who are you gonna call first? My mum. I've actually just written my name for, like, the first time in ages. WOMAN ON PHONE: I can't believe it. So what happens now? Do you get to keep it? (LAUGHTER) Well, yeah! Mum, it's called the 'Emma'. Oh, brilliant. It's got my name on it, and it comes with interchangeable faces and wristbands so I can change the colour. Have you got sequins? It's the old Emma. So important. (GENTLE MUSIC) Can't wait. Our team's inventions are already changing lives. James is using his camera to take pictures by himself. To celebrate, we set up an exhibition for his friends and family. We were with you when you took these photos. We're even in a photo! Everyone loves this one. He was just having a conversation with me, and I just, like, took a picture. How are we all feeling? Great. Fantastic. Yeah, they are. Because all these photos ` you gave him that. And... you've done it. So, yeah, I am feeling emotional, but I'm not gonna cry. But, I mean, everyone loves them photos, and it's only through you two that you've done it. Oh, it's been a real privilege. Thank you so much. Proud to be a part of it with you. In Wales, the villagers of Staylittle now have access to internet and backup phone lines. So, I have a new device called the Emma. Excellent. And Emma is using her watch to do the job she loves. Next time on Big Life Fix ` can the team help a paralysed man communicate with his wife,... Horrendous, not having his voice. ...give a teenage boy the chance to ride a bike for the very first time... This exercise has really illustrated how difficult it is. If you don't succeed, try, try, try again. ...and design a new technology to help a farmer battling criminals? Police don't stand a chance. You know, they've got to catch them red-handed. Copyright Able 2017