Online games for sexuality education, mobile apps that remind you and your flatmates when bills are due, and drones which fly in swarms to search for lost people were just some of the creative projects with ''real world'' applications on display in Dunedin yesterday.
But these were not the latest innovations from global information technology companies.
They were the work of third-year Otago Polytechnic bachelor of information technology students.
The Information Technology Showcase at Otago Museum was the polytechnic's annual display of projects its students have been working on since the beginning of the year.
Polytechnic IT Prof Samuel Mann said the students had been working to solve real business problems for real clients in innovative and creative ways, harnessing the latest technological advancements.
Among the projects was a prototype drone called Swarmtech, which can search specified areas for missing people.
Swarmtech team member Daniel Murphy said the project used flight control systems that gave access to multiple built-in sensors to monitor altitude, air speed and battery power levels, as well as having full autonomous flight capabilities.
''With teamwork, the search time will be massively reduced, increasing the likelihood of successful retrievals, while decreasing the overall search costs.''
Prof Mann said one of the benefits of the showcase was that it gave the students an opportunity to demonstrate their product or service.
''Many of our students will be put in this very position in the real world, having to pitch their idea to an employer, potential client or financial backer.
''The more experience they have presenting in front of a professional audience and receiving constructive criticism, the more confident they will be when they enter the work force.''
The exhibition also showcased the final projects of bachelor of applied management students, and the work of second-year software engineering, multimedia and web development students.
