AN ENTERPRISING student at the University of Reading jetted out to Texas to present his groundbreaking dementia app.

Callum Bramley, 23, came third in a prestigious international robotics competition after creating 'RESPOND' to identify dementia sufferers.

The third-year student, who is originally from Nottingham, studied at Arnold Hill Academy before moving to Reading.

“Dementia causes the sufferer to be unable to recognise objects and people, which can be as severe as being unsure who their wife or husband are.

“This can be frustrating and scary for the sufferer as they are unsure who to trust, leaving them feeling unconfident and dependent on others for recognition.

“My application alleviates these symptoms entirely, by using deep learning algorithms to recognise any object, as well as National Instruments technology for facial recognition.”

Callum beat hundreds of applicants to reach the final 10, before being selected by a panel of judges to be flown out to Texas to present his idea to a global audience.

The robotics student added: “Because of the global rise in health care costs, we need to develop new ways to help treat these patients at home that can work alongside current solutions to provide a better level of care.

“I came up with the idea after having a drink or two with my friends and eight months later I have got a working app and being flown to America to face off against some of the brightest people in robotics.

“I am a little disappointed to come third, but I came up with this idea on my own and created it on my own. It has been really hard work and I am glad it paid off.”

The other contestants had teams of people helping to create their designs, while Callum was the only person working independently and who was not studying for a PhD.

Dementia affects 36 million people worldwide and the World Health Organisation predicts this number will have doubled by 2030.