Students enter Microsoft design challenge

Natalie and Joanna Montgomery, Lee Murray and Neil Dawson with their storytelling machine

A Storymaker/Storyteller machine designed and built by students at Dundee University will compete in the Microsoft Design Expo 2008 next week.

Natalie and Joanna Montgomery, both 20, and Lee Murray and Neil Dawson, both 19, came up with the idea in response to Microsoft's topic of learning and education.

The device enables users to combine pictures and commentary to create stories.

"The thinking behind the machine was inspired by my grandfather, Donald Aitken, who was a former head of the British School in Tehran," said Dawson.

"He has a vast library of pictures held on slides, and there are some great stories behind them.

"We thought, why not create a machine that makes it easy to tie those pictures and stories together and we came up with the Storymaker/Storyteller device."

The students are all part of Dundee University's course on Innovative Product Design & Interactive Media Design.

The team has designed and built a working prototype which they will take to the competition.

Dundee is sending the UK's sole representatives in the competition which is held in Microsoft's home town of Redmond, Seattle.

The students are participating alongside designs schools from the US, China, India, Mexico and the Netherlands in the annual challenge.