When Rebecca Young was just 11 years old, she noticed how difficult winter could be for people sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow. Wanting to make a difference, the schoolgirl came up with an idea for a portable heated blanket that could keep people warm without needing access to electricity. Her invention, which folds into a backpack and runs on solar power, caught the attention of engineers and eventually became a working prototype. What started as a school competition entry has since earned international recognition and helped provide warmth to homeless people through charities across Scotland.
How Rebecca Young invented a solar-powered heated blanket
Rebecca, a pupil at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, entered her design into the Primary Engineer competition, “If You Were an Engineer, What Would You Do?”, which attracts around 70,000 entries from children across the UK each year. Her concept stood out among thousands of submissions and caught the attention of defence and technology company Thales.Engineers at Thales’ Glasgow facility worked closely with Rebecca to transform the concept into a fully functional prototype, which was unveiled in 2024. Designed to be lightweight, portable and easy to use, the invention demonstrated how simple engineering solutions can help address everyday social challenges.
How does the solar-powered heated blanket work?
Rebecca’s invention combines a blanket and a backpack into a single portable device. Flexible solar panels collect energy during the day and store it in a compact battery pack roughly the size of a smartphone.When unfolded, the blanket uses thin copper wires embedded inside the fabric to generate heat. A smart temperature-control circuit automatically switches the system on and off to conserve power and prevent overheating. The entire system folds neatly into a backpack with additional storage space, allowing users to carry belongings while charging the blanket in sunlight.According to project descriptions, the battery is designed to provide warmth throughout the night, with some reports suggesting up to eight hours of heating depending on weather conditions and battery charge.
Hundreds of blankets reached homeless charities
In June 2025, Thales announced that 150 blankets would be donated to six homeless charities across Glasgow. The first batch was delivered to Homeless Project Scotland, helping people sleeping rough during colder months.Production later moved to the Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE), a charity that provides employment opportunities for military veterans and people with disabilities. Under the scheme, every blanket sold helps fund another blanket for homeless charities.
TIME recognised Rebecca among its Girls of the Year
Rebecca’s work attracted international attention in 2025 when TIME magazine named her one of its first-ever Girls of the Year. Created in partnership with LEGO, the project celebrated young people making a difference around the world.Rebecca was even featured as a LEGO character on the magazine cover. Later that year, she travelled to Westminster to receive the British Citizen Youth Award in recognition of her contribution to society.
She dreams of becoming a drummer, not an engineer
Despite receiving praise for her invention, Rebecca’s ambitions lie elsewhere. The young innovator is passionate about music and plays drums in a band called The Girls.Although her heated blanket has helped improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness, Rebecca has said that her dream is not to become an engineer. Instead, she hopes to pursue a future in music.
A simple idea with a lasting impact
Rebecca Young’s invention shows how compassion and creativity can come together to solve everyday problems. What began as an 11-year-old’s desire to help people struggling through winter has evolved into a practical solution supported by engineers, charities and international organisations.Her story is a reminder that age is no barrier to innovation and that sometimes the biggest ideas come from simply noticing a problem and deciding to do something about it.
