A talented young inventor from Salford has made waves by winning a national award for her groundbreaking design aimed at helping those with dyslexia. Millie Childs has created a unique pair of color-changing glasses that promise to make reading a lot easier for people facing this challenge, and her prototype has already caught the attention of the NHS.
Millie came up with her idea while she was still a student at Light Oaks Junior School, inspired by her participation in Primary Engineer, a national STEM competition that encourages students to come up with innovative solutions to real-life issues.
Her invention, dubbed Rainbow Glasses, features spectacles with adjustable or interchangeable colored lenses that aim to alleviate visual stress and enhance reading comfort for individuals with dyslexia.
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During the competition, engineers from Thales UK in Cheadle chose Millie’s design to transform it into a working prototype. After months of research and testing, the team developed an LED-based system that allows the lenses to switch between red, green, and blue, catering to the specific needs of each user.
Now in Year 7 at Co-Op Academy Swinton, Millie has been honored with a Gold Award in the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal, which is closely related to the UK’s most esteemed engineering award, the MacRobert Award. Her former teacher, Rob Entwistle, accepted the award on her behalf at a ceremony in London last week.
This week, Millie returned to her roots at Light Oaks Junior School to share her story and inspire the next wave of young engineers.
At just 11 years old, Millie expressed her thoughts:
“My dyslexia has always made reading tough for me, so I wanted to create something that could help. Watching engineers bring my idea to life has been amazing. The thought that these glasses could one day assist others with dyslexia fills me with pride.”
Her mother, Sarah, shared: “Millie has truly enjoyed every moment of this experience, and it has been a huge source of motivation for her. She’s been excited the whole way through and is really hopeful about what lies ahead. Her grandad was an engineer, and that’s always been the career she dreamed of, so seeing her ideas come to life has been nothing short of amazing.”
Rob Entwistle, who used to teach Millie, remarked: “From the very first moment she presented her idea, Millie’s passion stood out. She was driven by a genuine desire to help others who face similar challenges. Watching her concept grow from a simple drawing into a working prototype has been incredibly inspiring.”
Zandra Wilkinson, the Headteacher at Light Oaks Junior School, noted: “The Primary Engineer competition is such a powerful opportunity for our students. It shows them that their ideas are important, that engineering is a creative field, and that they can tackle real-world problems. We are so proud of Millie and thrilled with her success.”
Every year, Primary Engineer invites students aged 3 to 19 to answer the question, “If you were an engineer, what would you do?” All submissions are evaluated by professional engineers, and each student receives a personalized certificate. The best designs are showcased at regional exhibitions and awards ceremonies, with winners celebrated on stage.
In 2024, Millie was recognized as one of the winners at the Greater Manchester regional event, part of 25 regional awards across the UK. Her design was later chosen for prototyping and revealed in July 2025.
Sam Hassan, a Bid and Programme Management Graduate at Thales, expressed: “We had a fantastic time collaborating on Millie’s Rainbow Glasses concept. Over the course of seven months, we researched, planned, built, and tested the design to create a prototype that matched her vision. This involved weekly meetings, working alongside researchers at the University of Georgia, delivering STEM lessons at Millie’s school, and inviting Millie and her classmates to see the final prototype.”
When we launched it, the feedback was incredibly positive, with even a member of the NHS expressing interest in possible future developments.
UK schools can register for this free competition by visiting:
https://leadersaward.com/the-competition
