Eleven-year-old Millie from Salford, Greater Manchester, has turned her personal struggle with dyslexia into an innovation that could help thousands of others. Inspired by her own experiences of headaches, nausea, and words “moving around” on the page, Millie designed colour-changing glasses with interchangeable lenses that allow users to select the hue that eases visual stress and improves reading comfort. Her invention, the rainbow spectacles, won a gold medal at the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal, standing out among more than 70,000 entries.
With the support of manufacturing firm Thales, Millie’s prototype is now a tangible reality, demonstrating that young minds can tackle real-world problems with creativity, empathy, and determination. Engineers involved in developing her design praised Millie for her innovative thinking and clear communication, noting that the glasses address a common challenge that is often overlooked.