Innovation Late is back
Fascinated by the Future? Let us give you a glimpse of things to come.
After the success of the first 2023 Innovation Late, we are back with a bigger and better event with even more exhibits and interactive activities to showcase the best or British innovation and technology.
Hosted by Fran Scott from Channel 4's Lego Masters, Innovation Late presents a series of talks from inspiring innovators and an exhibition of extraordinary engineering.
You’ll hear the stories behind incredible innovations including a plastic alternative derived from ocean waste as well as a portable dialysis machine that's transforming patients' lives.
Experience the latest cutting-edge technology with live demonstrations and interactive exhibits including micro robots, haptic driving simulator, super hydration jelly sweets as well as augmented reality headsets.
You'll explore how engineering is helping us to create a more sustainable world from the people tackling the problems, both big and small, and making the seemingly impossible an everyday reality.
Drop-in anytime, and take your pick from the series of talks, exhibits and hands-on activities on offer.
Host and speakers
Host - Fran Scott
Engineering presenter, maker, and pyrotechnician Fran Scott is known for her often-fiery demonstrations on CBBC’s Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom, as a guest reporter on Newsround and BBC Bitesize, and as the engineering judge on Channel 4’s UK Lego Masters. A scientist by training (MSci neuroscience) and an engineer at heart, Fran is an expert prop builder and science content producer who specialises in using physical demonstrations to explain seemingly complex scientific phenomena.
Orr Yarkoni
- Time: 19:00
- Topic: From lab to wardrobe: how engineering biology is changing fashion
After working In Nepal and seeing the waste created from dyeing textiles, Orr used his background in nanomaterials and synthetic biology to co-found and become CEO of Colorfix – a company bringing sustainability to the fashion industry with bacteria-based dyes. Some of Orr’s amazing work includes collaborating with designers such as Stella McCartney and having a display at the V&A, launching products with H&M and becoming an Earthshot Prize finalist. Orr was recently awarded the 2024 Princess Royal Silver Medal, by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Joshua Macabuag
- Time: 19:20
- Topic: Reviewing risk and consulting on catastrophes
Josh is Co-Founder of Renew-Risk, where his pioneering work is helping predict and assess disaster risk. Josh is also an engineering leader in disaster response, formerly leading the UK’s largest engineering team for international urban search and rescue. His expertise has been sought in the aftermath of many of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters, including deployment to the 2021 Haiti earthquake. Josh is also keen to inspire young and practising engineers, having appeared in films for the This is Engineering campaign, for which he is an ambassador, and the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Lucy Hughes
- Time: 19:40
- Topic: A sea change in materials: Pioneering plastic alternatives
Lucy is the Founder and COO of MarinaTex, a pioneering materials science company transforming seafood waste and algae into sustainable, compostable materials. As an award-winning innovator and Royal Academy of Engineering Ambassador, Lucy is committed to rethinking material use to combat plastic pollution. Her work has gained international recognition, and she continues to drive MarinaTex’s mission to create planet-conscious alternatives for packaging and agriculture.
Clive Buckberry
- Talk time: 20:20
- Topic: Juice dispenser to dialysis - lessons from a journey of innovation
Clive started his career working for Rover and BMW after studying mechanical engineering and engineering design. In 2008, he co-founded Quanta Dialysis Technologies to develop a unique portable kidney dialysis machine that uses technology based on an orange juice dispenser. The machine has had a significant impact on the lives of kidney dialysis patients and received the 2022 MacRobert Award. In 2024 Clive was honoured with an MBE for services to medical engineering.
Navjot Sawhney
- Time: 20:40
- Topic: For goodness sake: Innovating for impact
Navjot is the Founder of The Washing Machine Project. Nav studied aerospace engineering at Queen Mary University of London and after working as an engineer for Dyson, he moved to South India to make cookstoves with Engineers Without Borders UK. It was here he met his neighbour Divya, whose struggle with everyday tasks, including hand washing clothes for up to 20 hours a week, inspired him to develop the first prototype for The Washing Machine project.
Exhibitors
All the exhibitors at Innovation Late are designed to be interactive, make you think and allow you to see how the latest innovations are improving today’s society.
Ever wondered what a cloud tasted like?
Lick the air and find out. You’ll be amazed at how tasty it can be. LMID provide an exciting and interactive exhibit that will make you think.
Conduct a choir of singing plants and feel like a maestro!
Discover the latest technology that make plants sing, created by PlantWave and presented by Dr Duncan MacLeod from the University of Nottingham.
Get ready to groove with Baby Boogie.
An interactive exhibit that reveals how our social development starts from day one. Using advanced computer modelling, Baby Boogie uncovers the movement patterns that help babies thrive and identifies early signs of neurodivergent conditions, allowing for earlier support. Join the fun and discover the magic of baby movements.
A thrilling journey into the future of transport.
UCL’s interactive exhibition lets you step into a cutting-edge car simulator and immerse yourself in the world of self-driving technology as you eat, drink and play games - all while being driven by the car itself!
Get up close and personal with a robotic spider and other transformer-like robots.
King’s College London’s Dynamical RObot MOtion & Interaction (DROMOI) lab will bring robots to life in front of your eyes.
And many more...
Innovation late 2023
Check out the interactive exhibits and talks at Innovation Late 2023 which gave our guests insight into just some of Britain's exceptional engineering making a difference.
Photos by Layton Thompson.
An eager audience watch the first of a series of talks.
Rahul Mandal, bake-off superstar and Technical Lead at Nuclear AMRC, uses chocolate welding to create a tasty structural masterpiece.
Guests experience the supportive help of air cell technology that Aergo Health can offer wheelchair users.
Graffiti artist Caeman Smith creates an engineering inspired artwork in the Leake Street tunnels
A bubble volcano produces edible bubbles.
The UKAEA showcase the Unitree robot dog.
Guests play with levitation with researchers from UCL