Episode 1 The Big Life Fix with Simon Reeve

We're living in a new age of invention.

Brilliant brains are no longer just holed up

in leading the university labs or research facilities.

Today, inventors are coming together in technology hubs like this

to design, to help improve people's lives.

It's actually working! That's so cool!

For this series, we've brought together

seven of the UK's leading engineers, designers and computer programmers.

-Ta-da!

-I'm going to make myself the guinea pig.

They'll use cutting-edge science and technology

to build life changing solutions for people in desperate need.

I don't know who to ask...

-..or where to go.

-In pain, uncomfortable...

From helping individuals who are seriously ill...

-RATTLE-LIKE BLOW

-Whoa!

..to solving issues affecting entire communities.

Someone's either going to get seriously injured and can't get aid

or someone's going to die.

They'll attempt to tackle major problems

that have so far gone unsolved.

I think I've created something really new

and possibly revolutionary.

The potential of this is massive.

Fingers crossed nothing cracks or explodes.

This week, they'll help a photographer

with a life-threatening condition.

I already bring attention to myself with my bandages.

They'll attempt to bring cutting-edge communication

to a remote Welsh village.

Why should we be excluded?

They'll work to give some control back

to a young designer with Parkinson's disease.

Anything you could do that would make my hand

do what I want it to do.

I'm Simon Reeve.

Over the next nine months, I'll be working with this brilliant team.

If they succeed,

they could change these people's lives and the lives of many more.

Hello!

Yeah!

This is the best thing that could ever happen for us.

Keep going, keep going! Keep going to the end!

Our team's base is in East London.

Known as a makerspace, it's one of a national network

of inventors' hubs, crammed full of the latest technology.

It's from here that our seven leading inventors will attempt

to create fixes for people with nowhere else to turn.

I'm really excited about what we're going to learn.

I can't wait to meet these people.

The team includes a director from Microsoft,

engineers who worked at Dyson's innovation labs,

award-winning designers,

who've built everything from ambulances to earthquake sensors.

Right, let's get our sleeves rolled up and get stuck in.

'Jude Pullen has been chosen to lead the first case,

'helping a passionate photographer with a condition

'that seriously affects his life.'

Have you always been a maker?

The first thing I remember, because there's a photograph of it,

is I made a hotel for birds.

-A hotel for birds?

-A hotel for birds.

-How old were you?

-I think I was six.

'Jude is an award-winning design engineer.

'He's worked closely with the NHS,

'designed firefighting robots and even mini space pods.'

-Oh, wow!

-It's amazing.

-Cool van, James.

-Very impressed to see you out and driving.

-Thanks.

'We've come to Merseyside to meet 22-year-old James Dunn.'

-Can you tell us a little bit about your condition, James?

-Yeah.

It's called epidermolysis bullosa

-and it's a genetic skin condition...

-CAR BEEPS

..which causes my skin to fall off

-and blister and scar with friction...

-I see.

..because I'm missing the collagen in my skin,

which is basically the glue.

Is it particularly unique, people with your condition, to drive?

I was the first one in a wheelchair with EB

-to drive in this country.

-Wow, that's amazing.

Yeah, because I'm quite strong-minded.

I knew I wanted to do it, so I was going to do it.

-Do you mean strong-minded as stubborn?

-Yeah, sometimes.

The thing with my condition

-is it's all about taking my mind off the pain...

-Yeah.

..and then the difficulties in life.

That's what we live for - distraction,

distracting me from reality, basically.

'James loves photography, but 12 years ago,

'the skin between his fingers started fusing together.

'Now he's completely lost the use of his hands

'and can no longer operate a camera.

'He's hoping Jude can help. We've come to James's home,

'where he lives with his mum and dad, to see some of his work.'

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-I'm Leslie.

-Nice to meet you. Jude.

-Hello, Leslie.

-Hello.

-Simon. Lovely to meet you.

Thank you for letting us come in.

Simon, do you mind turning it on?

I've got one of these.

'EB is a rare and potentially terminal condition.'

-Do you want to see one I'm really I'm proud of?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Not for any reason, just cos I think it's a really good photo.

You can still people there in the background.

Even though they're not in focus,

you can see them going about their life.

-Who do you take pictures for?

-Mainly myself and memories.

Memories are important because, obviously, with a terminal illness,

you're not going to live a full life.

It's going to be a short life, so while I'm here,

it's about having fun and making memories

and leaving something behind,

like leaving...memories for other people to look at.

-Do bandages?

-Yeah.

-Sure.

-OK.

-How often do you have to do this, James?

-Um, every other day.

-I know he's going to feel a lot better afterwards.

-Afterwards.

So, I think that's what keeps me going.

'James is in permanent chronic pain.

'He wears protective dressings all over is body to prevent blisters

'which can cause infection and skin cancers.'

-Sorry.

-It's OK.

-Is it only Mum who does it?

-Yeah, I only let her do it.

-Don't let anyone else... I'll do that, Mum. We laugh about it.

-We do.

-Do a lot of people laugh about it with EB?

-Yeah, we just laugh.

-Sometimes I can pull your skin off, can't I?

-Yeah.

-So, I'll try and get them slow.

-Sometimes you what?

-I can pull the skin off, so...

-You have to be very careful.

The bandages, the reason they're so specialist

is because you can't use adhesive stuff, sticky stuff.

-Ow...

-Sorry.

-You must feel your body lets you down.

-Yeah, I do.

Honestly, that's it. You've hit the nail on the head. I do.

I just wish... I've got the brain of a normal person,

I wish I had the body of a normal person.

You haven't got the brain of a normal person.

You're far more mature and creative

and thoughtful than the average person.

You're certainly a lot more mature than the average 22-year-old,

-I would humbly suggest.

-Thank you.

And to develop to that stage, frankly, as a person,

with everything you've gone through at the same time,

is...it's unimaginable.

-All right?

-All set?

-Yeah.

'The only way James can now take pictures

'is with the help of his dad, Kenny.'

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Morning.

Come on then, dad, step up to the plate.

Let's just see if we can move this down.

So, this is really helpful for me, James,

cos I'm understanding what parts of the camera you interact with.

'A top of the range SLR camera takes a lot of setting up.'

Feel free to bicker. I have a sense that this is what you sometimes do.

-No, I'm just keeping quiet before he starts shouting at me.

-Then zoom in.

Back, back, back to CA again.

-Back, back.

-Where's CA?

-That way. Right round.

'It's been a good five minutes

'and James and Kenny still haven't taken any pictures.'

OK, that's the menu I want.

-It's quite a process, isn't it, Kenny?

-Yeah.

Now turn that wheel again. That wheel.

-James, does it hurt you to touch the controls?

-Yeah, really does.

-It REALLY does?

-Yeah.

-And buttons are kind of fiddly, aren't they?

They're very small on cameras.

SHUTTER CLICKS

-So, I notice you've got a little pedal down here.

-Yeah.

-How much control would you say you have?

-With my feet, lots, yeah.

What are your first thoughts, Jude?

I'd say, clearly, there's no doubt this is not about saying,

"Why can't you just use a smartphone?"

James described how, even for the pain,

-it recedes when he's immersed in the creative process.

-Mmm.

It's really about sort of improving the way of his life,

physically and creatively.

'The challenge for Jude now is to design a way

'for James to take photos using his own camera.'

'It's a very profound experience

'to be welcomed into someone's life who, quite obviously,'

is coping with so much adversity

but coming through it in such a way

that has so much spirit and so much resilience and so much ambition

that you can't help but feel inspired and motivated.

If there's any pressure in this project,

it's hoping that you deliver something that is meaningful.

It's a hell of day.

And I'm sure it'll stay with me

and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Our next case is being taken on by inventors Ryan and Ross.

Ross Atkin is an award-winning product designer and engineer.

He's worked on projects for Stannah stairlifts and Transport for London.

He even designed smart technology for Cities of the Future.

Ryan White is an electronics engineer, originally from Canada.

He's built deep-sea robots, but his real passion is giving people

the technology to build and fix things for themselves.

Look! Look at that hill! It's like a crumpled pillow.

I guess it reminds me of home cos it's absolutely beautiful.

-It's wanting me to turn right here. Should I turn right?

-This is it.

-Yeah, we need to go.

-We're actually here.

We're heading to a small village called Staylittle in central Wales,

a community that's cut off from the modern world.

It's known as a "not-spot",

an area with terrible internet and phone reception.

We've called a meeting with the residents in the village hall.

Who here has a mobile phone?

Who here has a mobile phone

that actually works regularly and you can rely on?

Who can make a call right now?

So, almost everybody has a mobile phone, but only three people,

I think, have one that actually works.

Whose landline does not work regularly per year?

-Wow.

-That's very little.

-Do you get angry about it?

LAUGHTER

Frustrated, I think, isn't it? It's frustration rather than anger.

I have to contact my carer.

I do need her to have a line I can reach her at any time.

Who needs the internet?

It's the things like for my daughter, here,

she's nine and my family are getting older. Homework.

I can't get online for basic information

about Victorians a couple of weeks ago.

I can't do that and that's not helping my children's education.

Increasingly, there's a lot of things you have to do

that you can only do online.

Yeah, but when you look at the rest of Britain has it,

why should we be excluded from that?

'With the meeting over, we head out to investigate.

'The first problem here is the landline.'

The infrastructure was built an age ago.

It definitely can't support the internet

and the villagers are struggling to make phone calls with it.

Mrs Bucknell has experienced the problems firsthand.

-It happened once when we were flooded.

-What did you do?

We had to wait for people to come down and we said,

"We haven't got a phone to tell anybody."

-Water was all round us and coming through the front door.

-Oh, my God.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

The first issue is the landlines.

But the team can't just lay new phone cables

because the cost is enormous.

Second is mobile phone reception.

Welsh hills and the lack of phone masts

mean it's often nigh impossible to get connected.

Challenge number one would be my daughter.

Mum, Amanda, thinks it's putting her children's health at risk.

About two years old, we had what they thought, at the time,

was an asthmatic attack,

-which now has been proved to be an anaphylactic reaction.

-Oh, wow.

Within an hour, after a nap,

we had breathing difficulties and various things, had to be rushed,

we've had to go into hospital, we've relied on an air ambulance.

We're under the care of dermatology,

a paediatrician and an ophthalmologist, aren't we?

So, we rely quite heavily

-on communication.

-Where are they located?

But the biggest issue for many here is the internet.

Internet connection is just pathetic.

People need the internet for paying taxes, shopping, homework.

But broadband internet is almost nonexistent here.

What should be done in ten minutes

will take you three-quarters of an hour.

HE KNOCKS ON DOOR

The village of Staylittle is not alone.

For big phone operators,

small villages are just not a commercial priority.

-Shall I call my mum?

-Yeah, call your mum, come on.

-Have you got a tone?

-It doesn't sound like a phone that works.

Why does it say, "Email, text, phone" on the top?

-It's a sticker that someone's put on there.

-Is it a joke?

In fact, there are 80,000 not-spots across the UK,

affecting millions of people.

It's an enormous issue for rural businesses

and households across the country.

We head to London to report back to the rest of the team.

Why is it that Wales hasn't got this? Why is this a thing?

-I'm slightly bemused that this...

-The mind boggles at this.

I can't believe that this is a problem right now.

It's just why, how? It's such a small island where we are.

Even in Australia, we have phone booths with solar panels on top

in the middle of the desert.

Back in Canada, tiny coastal communities, similar to this,

less than 100 people live there,

and it's still there and it works and it's reliable all the time.

In fact, all of Staylittle's communication problems

can be solved if they have the internet.

Villagers can surf the web and make phone calls over the net.

But how will the team bring the internet to a remote village?

Around the world, tech companies are spending millions

tackling the same problem.

Google have tried floating huge balloons over New Zealand

to create a wireless network.

Facebook have been flying vast solar-powered internet drones.

The team's budget doesn't extend quite that far,

but can they come up with something better?

Three weeks after meeting James, the photographer,

Jude is back in London, working on the camera.

This is, if you like, my little mini workshop, where the magic happens.

I've got my computer, I've got my 3-D printer,

I've got a prototyping map.

First thing to acknowledge is I am not a professional photographer.

I am looking at this massively complex button-covered machine

with a certain amount of trepidation.

Jude is working on the same make of camera that James has.

It has hundreds of options.

I mean, it's like the ISO, the zoom, the focus, the menu,

aperture priority...

The list of complexity on this thing is just huge.

So, that was just using a little bit of isopropyl alcohol

which is going to help this stuff stick to it.

Jude is using mouldable silicon putty

to make the fiddly buttons more user-friendly for James.

I noticed James actually had a foot pedal

on the bottom of his wheelchair,

so I've taken that to not just autofocus,

but also take a picture.

Next, he's creating a pedal system

that will allow James to quickly take a photo.

My concern is that this is requiring quite...a bit of force.

Finally, he's tackling the zoom,

which is impossible for James to control.

He's going to build James a custom zoom controller.

So, we designed something in this program here

and I'm just about to 3-D print it

to this little orange machine in the background here.

At the minute, the flashing light means it's thinking about it.

I think this machine is smarter than I am cos I am so tired.

So, here goes.

And so, about 20 minutes later,

and about, I guess, five pence later, we'll have a part for James.

3-D printers squeeze molten plastic through a tiny nozzle,

creating slices that build and stick together from the bottom up.

These machines can now be bought for a few hundred pounds

and are being used to build everything

from prosthetic hands to car parts.

So...just comes off.

This bit isn't needed any more, and this is the piece.

-Good to see you.

-You too. How are you?

Well, to be honest, I'm quite nervous and excited.

I hope that he's going to see...

'James and his mum, Leslie, have come down to London

'to try out some of Jude's early ideas.'

-Hello.

-Hello, oh, I get a hug as well.

-Hello, good to see you.

-Hi, how are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

-Lovely to see you.

-Hey, James, how's it going?

-Good.

-Good to see you.

What I have is...

You might find some of these a little easier to press.

So, this isn't the end result.

This is for you and me to learn what works.

-Do you want to try switching it on?

-Yeah.

-So, you know your on button.

-That's a good start.

-Wow.

-So you can actually get one.

-Can you, yeah?

Yeah. So, I made this little 3-D print.

Basically, that just holds in, with a little bit of Blu-tack.

And I think, to be honest, this is a bit ridiculously big.

I think you're not going to struggle.

So, you want to push the other way.

'Jude is trying out different levers to find one that James can operate

'with the least amount of pain.'

Try the smaller end and be honest if it's a bit too firm.

-That's firmer than the other one.

-Yeah.

So, that's the middle.

-Is that doable?

-That's the big one.

-The big one.

-The big one's better?

-Yeah.

-OK. So, the final bit...

You were probably hoping I would have spent more money on this,

but these are basically typists' foot pedals.

-Autofocus.

-Wow.

-Jesus!

That's amazing, that.

How someone with intelligence can just do it.

-This is really only about £10 to make this.

-All that?

-But it was what was up here as well.

-Of course.

-And that's priceless!

Now Jude wants to see if his prototypes work,

so we're off on a tour of the street art of East London.

This is the location.

And you've got to see what you like and what works on the camera

and feed back to Jude.

Be tough on him. He can take it. He can.

He's in third gear.

That's cool.

-So is that. That is fantastic!

-Wow!

Look at that! You've got a nice shot of this.

-See, I thought that was good.

-I don't know if this is possible.

A photographer doesn't always take pictures in landscape.

-Ooh!

-That is an extremely good point.

-Yeah.

Sometimes he wants to turn the camera.

'The battery on the camera keeps dying

'and James is unable to change it himself.'

We should give the screen a rest cos I think that uses a lot of battery.

I do want it to look like the part as well.

-With big things sticking off the camera, it doesn't look great.

-Yeah.

-That sounds harsh, doesn't it?

-No, no.

-No, no, no.

-I already bring attention to myself

with my bandages, so...

Give it a score out of ten and then we can check again.

I can't possibly do that. I'm not...

THEY LAUGH

-Definitely above five cos I can use the camera.

-Above five.

-Yeah.

Simon, you're too straight.

'At the moment, James can't rotate the camera,

'some of Jude's additions are too bulky

'and the batteries are running out far too quickly.

'There's a lot of work to do.'

The thing that is, to be honest, a little bit scary,

is that James isn't a pushover

and I'm going to have to really work to take it to the level

that he's genuinely really impressed with

and that he'll be able to immerse himself in the art form.

The next case for our team is to help a talented young designer,

whose illness is affecting her career.

Computer scientist Haiyan Zhang will lead the project.

Her work includes designing cutlery for disabled people

and even panic buttons for use in hostile environments.

Currently, she's a director of innovation at Microsoft Research.

-What are you hoping to find out today?

-I think on the first visit,

it's really just getting to know her, um, what she's like.

And seeing where you might be able to fit in

-with your expertise and help.

-Yeah, exactly.

'We've come to a busy design agency in London

'to meet 32-year-old Emma Lawton, a successful graphic designer.'

What does a creative director do in a company like this?

We often do branding, we do some print work.

I sit around all day and colour things in.

That's what I tell people.

'Emma has Parkinson's.

'It's relatively common among the over 60s.

'Emma developed the condition when she was just 29.

'Currently, there's no cure.'

OK, I'm going to try and replicate this here.

We're off to a great start(!)

'Emma's not expecting a miracle cure from Haiyan,

'but she'd like help dealing with symptoms of Parkinson's.

'Many sufferers find their limbs become more rigid

'and they experience tremors.'

I tend to just avoid doing sketching and writing now,

because it's just... It's not really worth it

if you get something like that. It's like...

Anything you could do that would just make my hand

do what I want it to do

-and to be able to sign my name would be an incredible thing.

-Yeah.

There's things like that that are really important to me,

to be able to express myself through writing.

How integral is drawing to your job?

It's important to me as a person and as a designer that I can do it.

-Mm-hmm.

-Personally and professionally.

Personally and professionally.

-This isn't just a job. This is about...

-This is who I am.

We're heading to Emma's home to find out

more about how Parkinson's has affected her life.

Thank you. How did your family take the diagnosis?

Um, in very different ways.

My mum works in learning disabilities and things like that,

so she's incredibly practical in a crisis,

and I know that she got incredibly upset about it

and she just didn't show me that.

She was there for hugs when I needed it,

but she went into battle plan mode and I needed her to do that

because I wasn't ready to do that myself.

My dad, I think, was upset that he couldn't fix it.

And I think it's taken him a long time to realise

that we can't actually solve it,

we just have to live with it and do the best we can.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hi.

'Emma's been with her boyfriend, Shram, for the last three years.'

-Nice to meet you.

-Simon.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

Can you give us an idea of how important drawing

and being able to create things on a page is to her.

I think one of things that she wants to do

is just feel like everybody else,

do the things that everybody else does on a day-to-day basis.

Obviously, she's honest about it.

It's the little things that make you, keep you human, as it were,

doing the day-to-day things that we normally do.

If she could do just simply writing,

that would give her more, and drawing, obviously,

is really important to her from a creative perspective,

so I think it would just open so much more up for her

that, to an extent, she may have thought

she'd never be able to do again.

'Over the next two weeks,

'Haiyan juggles her full-time job and her newborn baby'

with researching solutions

that could help to get Emma writing and drawing again.

So, I met with this really interesting

Oxford professor of physics who I was chatting with

about this particular challenge with Emma.

Haiyan experiments with pens that are adapted to reduce tremors,

but they're not quite good enough for what Emma needs.

So, she starts developing her own ideas.

I've got a whole bunch of experiments to try out.

She's invited Emma to her office in Cambridge.

This is also super rough, so I'm not expecting any answers.

I just want to observe you

doing more different kinds of writing and drawing.

-This is a pantograph. It is a children's toy.

-Yeah.

-But it's also a professional design tool.

-Yeah.

I've tried to cheat a little bit

-by adding in slightly more rigid hinges...

-Yeah.

-..so that it's trying to dampen...

-Ah, clever.

..your movement a little bit. So, I don't know. Let's try it.

First, she tries to steady Emma's hand

by increasing the drag of the pen.

It's actually probably magnifying the shakes.

You would think it would dampen it down,

-but it actually sort of magnifies it.

-Yeah.

Let's move onto something much more experimental.

It started out with thinking about this phenomenon that happens

-when a magnet is rolling off an aluminium surface.

-OK.

So, it does weird things, like this.

It's sliding.

Because, basically, an opposing magnetic force is being created

around the magnet, so it's just slowing down...

Then she uses magnets to create a resistance.

-If we slide...

-Can I start over this way a little bit?

-Yeah, sure, just slide it around.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

This writing pad comes with me, to just hold the magnet underneath.

-Oh, sorry.

-OK.

-What did you say? "Don't lift the pad."

But at the end of the tests, Emma's control of the pen is still poor.

'How do we even just begin to help her overcome

'this particular symptom of her tremors

'and help her be able to regain'

her writing ability, her drawing ability?

You know, I don't think we're ever going to get that back 100%.

My challenge is, I mean, it's immense.

Back in London, Jude has been adapting James's camera.

For the last three months,

he's spent every spare moment working on it.

So, this is a new piece of kit for me. This is a power converter.

First, Jude wants to power the camera

directly from James's electric wheelchair,

so the camera battery will last for as long as James is out and about.

What we're going to do is transform the power

down from his wheelchair battery

and use this little, if you like, dummy battery.

And it's going to take us from James's wheelchair voltage

down to a voltage which is normally in these batteries.

Yeah!

He's abandoning the clunky manual levers he's designed

and, instead, he's building a remote control zoom.

That is an aerial, a Bluetooth module.

He turns to electronics expert Ross for help.

What we're going to do to control it is use this little computer

called an Arduino.

Together, they write a computer program

to control the camera's zoom from a phone or a tablet.

So, then click "Open". Right, you've built an app, Jude.

So, if we press this, go one way,

and if we press this, go the other way.

So, I've been trying to work through the gear ratios.

Gear design is pretty complex.

He then plans and 3-D prints new supports,

gears and casings for the final design.

BABY CRIES

So, that is my lovely newborn baby son

and I've also been managing that project as well,

with this project.

And when the build is finished,

it's time to deliver the final camera design to James.

How are you feeling about today?

Er, a little bit apprehensive.

This is a genuine form of therapeutic pain relief for James.

It's quite nerve-racking to see

whether the design fits what he was looking for.

'If Jude's design works...'

-Hiya.

-Hello, Leslie.

-Hey, James.

-Hello.

'..it'll be the first time that photographer James

'can take a photo unaided in more than two years.'

Good thanks, you?

James, somebody's been working very hard for you.

-Yeah, I can see.

-And it's not me, that's for sure.

He's a little bit nervous.

There's many things I'd do differently, but I still think

it's going to really, it's really going to change the game for you.

-Thanks.

-And so I'm excited.

Let's get it out.

-I'm very excited to see, aren't you, James?

-Yeah.

-You need to get all out.

-Wow.

-So, this is the drive unit.

So, this little board's been designed just for you.

'This new system will allow James to control the camera

'from his tablet computer without causing him any pain.'

-Going to look so cool, Simon.

-I am totally with you.

-I can't wait to see.

-It looks like futuristic and techy.

He's too modest to say. He has created an app for you.

In the App Store, you have an app, basically.

-In the App Store?

-Yeah.

James can now zoom, focus and take pictures independently

through an app especially designed for him, called Zocus.

We tried to make it so it isn't lots of draggy movements.

-Obviously, your skin doesn't want to have to slide all day.

-No.

That's going to get painful.

You know when we were out on the shoot,

-we were running through the battery really fast.

-Yeah.

-The nice thing is you can power this 24/7.

-Nice.

-KENNY:

-My gosh, what have we got here?

-Look at that.

-It looks so futuristic.

-LESLIE:

-My goodness, James.

-KENNY:

-Does that mean I'm made redundant?

-LESLIE:

-Thank God, yeah.

-KENNY:

-James, please, please.

-Let's hope so.

-LESLIE:

-Thank you.

-It's all right.

-Oh, God, thank you. Thank you so much.

-It's OK.

-You're amazing.

-Cheers.

-Thank you, thank you, thank you.

-Are you crying?

-What are you feeling, Leslie?

-I don't know. It's just...

It's nice to have people taking time out to help

and he will be able to have his own independence again,

doing something he loves.

The thing is, when he's doing his photography,

his mind does go blank to his pain.

It feels amazing. It's life changing.

I can't thank you enough.

I'm so proud of him but when he's going to be out photographing

all the type of things he wants to do

and he comes back and shows me the pictures,

oh, I can't wait, I really can't wait.

-It's going to make life so much better. Thank you.

-Yeah.

-That's it. He's...

-He's off.

-It's nice not to be...

-If you notice, I haven't intervened, pressed any buttons.

-No.

It's just been great.

Yeah, you've done something really, really magnificent.

It's just amazing to see it working now.

You know you're doing it for the right reason,

so you just keep going

and it goes wrong and you restart it and try again.

You talked very movingly at one point

about how you love photography

-because it gave you a chance to leave a legacy.

-Yeah.

Is that what this is going to enable you to do?

Yeah, yeah, memories, as I've said in the past,

about my pictures and I want...

Yeah, I want people to...

..remember that this is what I enjoyed

and this is where I found my happiness.

You can sort of curate what you want other people to remember you by.

Yeah, definitely. That'll be amazing.

The team are still on the hunt for an affordable way to bring

21st-century communication to the village of Staylittle.

More excitement because I have a Mesh Potato.

Ross thinks he may have found the answer

to the village's ancient phone lines and almost nonexistent internet.

It's a piece of kit from South Africa

with the catchy name of a Mesh Potato.

When you install one in your house and your neighbours have one too,

it creates a link between you.

I'm going to plug it into the wall.

You can phone and share the internet with them.

Each time someone new installs a Mesh Potato,

they also join the network.

Before long, there's a communication mesh across the village.

The Mesh Potato uses the same technology

as your internet router or Wi-Fi hub at home.

PHONE RINGS

Oh, my God!

Hello?

It's working! It's actually working! That's so cool!

I've basically built a phone network.

But first, Ross and Ryan must persuade the villagers

to let them install their Potatoes.

Morning. Good morning, everybody.

A lot of the kit they're working with is cutting-edge technology.

Ross, why don't you explain?

The underlying bit of infrastructure is this.

It's got an amazing name. It's called a Mesh Potato.

LAUGHTER

You're not dependent on a telecoms company

to install it and maintain it.

You switch it on and it connects

to any other Mesh Potatoes that it can see.

In the back of them, they have a port that says "Phone".

So, I've got one here.

-Some of us remember those phones.

-So, basically...

-You need to pick it up first, mate.

-Yeah, I know.

-Good, well done.

LAUGHTER

-I pick it up...

-Does the dial not turn?

PHONE RINGS

-Hey.

-Hey, Ryan, how's it going?

Yeah, I'm cool. How are you doing?

-Yeah, good.

-He's from Canada.

-Great to speak to you.

So, are you willing, then, that we could all connect up

and phone each other when the landlines went down,

so that if somebody was ill, they could phone someone?

That sounds like a brilliant idea to me.

That's what I was really, really hoping you'd say.

-That's the other question. Does this connect us all together, here?

-Yeah.

What about connecting to the big wide world?

What we're proposing, as a network that we want to build, can grow.

It can grow to include people that are further away

from the village and it can also grow, eventually,

to places where there is a decent internet connection.

You're talking about connecting people up within the village

and then connecting the village up with the outside world.

-Is that fair to say?

-Exactly.

At this stage, you don't really know what is capable with the kit,

so you don't know. You're going to try your best but...

We're going to do some tests tomorrow.

There are limitations in what we can do.

18 homes sign up to Ryan and Ross's plan

to establish a localised phone and internet network.

We're having fun. This is a fun thing.

What I love about it is it's so democratic.

We are literally building a telecommunications company,

basically, a full telecommunications infrastructure.

With billing and everything.

With stuff that you can just buy for tens of pounds. That's amazing.

How are you going to resolve that really crucial element,

which is getting the internet into the community?

We need to find out where around here

we can get a decent internet connection on the cellular network.

-And then pipe it, in some way, from there to here.

-Yeah.

To bring the internet to the village,

just one Mesh Potato needs to be connected

to a strong cellular internet signal.

That signal can then be shared with everyone in the network.

So, we're going on a hunt

to find the strongest signal in this vast valley.

So, we've lost the tower.

This one on Talkmobile lost the tower about...

Oh, we've got one now. The Vodafone one has a tower again.

-I have lost all hope.

-Really?

I'm driving through in this thing, up and down.

I've lost all hope of getting...

You've just chucked them out the window back there.

They might as well be back in London.

The team are back in London, talking through the ideas

to help Parkinson's patient Emma deal with her tremors.

Design Director, Creative Director, for goodness' sake,

and she can't express herself the way that she wants to.

It must be so difficult.

I think we all would love to support her

-and help her maintain that optimism.

-Absolutely.

We live in a very technological age,

but I still carry a pen and paper with me

everywhere I go and use it every day.

'Haiyan has been researching

'what's on the market already for Parkinson's patients.'

Have you guys recently seen this project

where someone's made a spoon?

It actually counteracts the tremors you get from Parkinson's,

so the spoon actually vibrates

in opposition to how your hand might be shaking

and, therefore, it's steady.

It applies an opposite force to your tremors.

-So, it keeps soup on the spoon.

-Exactly.

Taking inspiration from the spoon,

Haiyan goes away to experiment with vibrations.

So, what I'm doing is I'm making a very rough prototype

and what this board does is I can connect into it,

through these wires, these tiny coin cell motors.

So, these motors will vibrate

and they're used in your mobile phone to give you that buzz.

Scientists believe that the brains of Parkinson's patients

are constantly sending out false signals

which can make the hands tremor.

Some patients have reduced their tremors

by distracting the brain with sounds or vibrations,

a bit like tricking your brain into focussing on something else.

-Hello.

-Hi, I'm Alison.

-Hi, Alison, I'm Haiyan.

Haiyan's keen to test the theory

on a focus group of Parkinson's sufferers.

I'm Guy. I was diagnosed just over a year ago.

I was diagnosed just under a year ago.

I've had Parkinson's for 11 and a half years.

It makes the challenge difficult for you, I imagine,

-if everybody's got different symptoms at different stages.

-Yeah.

Anything to help tremors would be wonderful.

Many say the tremors are the worst aspect of Parkinson's.

On the page, write your name and also maybe draw like a square box.

OK, that's not good, is it?

-GUY SIGHS

-God, it gets worse!

So, the idea is that if you are distracted by the vibration,

are you able to write better? I don't know. I don't know.

So, let's try it.

There are six vibrating motors embedded in the wristband

and Haiyan can adjust the speed and strength of each one.

The aim is to find a sweet spot, the right frequency and intensity

that Haiyan thinks might distract the brain and reduce the tremors.

It feels quicker. I want to go quicker.

-Oh, yeah?

-I feel more comfortable with it.

-Ah.

But I don't know if the end result is that much better.

It's affecting something. I don't quite know what's happening.

Something is going on with it.

-It feels, it feels easier.

-Yeah?

I'm not sure that the result is any different.

-Is that quite fast now? It feels it.

-Yeah.

Does it feel better or worse? I think it might not be better.

It's not better, no.

But then changing the pattern of vibrations

seems to be having an effect.

Yes, as Gaynor said, it feels as if you can go a bit faster.

Do you think it's about changing the rhythm of the vibration?

It might be changing the rhythm.

I mean, the pulse would have to be adapted to each person, I presume.

Right, right, yeah. That's interesting.

-I think there's certainly potential there.

-Yeah.

I personally think that what this is doing

is it's short-circuiting whatever feedback loop there is

between the brain and the hand that's causing the tremors.

So, it's sort of injecting in there some white noise

that's causing the brain to stop sending those signals

to continue with the tremors.

I mean, that's what I THINK,

so I mean, it's just really...

I think I'm onto something, right? I'm onto something.

Back in Wales, Ryan and Ross are still hunting

for an internet signal.

They've taped a router and antennae to the roof of the car

and are driving around the valley.

They're trying to sniff out an internet signal

that's strong enough to beam down to the village of Staylittle.

We wrote an app last night, here.

The idea is basically that we sort of drive around

and, hopefully, we're able to record automatically

where we got a decent internet connection.

When it makes a success, the top of the screen will turn green.

We've got the model here as well so, right now, we're about here.

Their homemade app will notify them every time they get lucky.

Ah, hang on.

I'm getting nothing.

Oh, I'm getting something, but what that means is the internet here

is not good enough to do anything.

No, I agree. So, let's keep going up the hill.

Nothing, nothing, nothing.

-Nothing.

-Oh, I got success, success.

-Success.

I can see the village.

Just under a mile outside the village,

they've hit the jackpot - a very strong cellular internet signal.

What's really convenient is that we're parked

right next to a big post so, basically,

we could stick a base station up here

that then can bridge between the mesh network

that we build in Staylittle and the wider internet

and we can do it with a reasonable bandwidth

that's good enough to make a phone call out to the regular phone line.

Man, what a change from yesterday, eh?

This is it. This is the most important part of the fix.

If this doesn't work, we might as well go home.

With the help of a couple of satellite engineers,

they install kit that will capture the strong signal

and beam the connection down to the village.

-It's all yours, guys.

-Are we trying to hit...?

-I'll show you.

You see the rooftop just sticking over the top of the hill there?

That's the community centre.

-Hello.

-Morning.

Ross starts planting Mesh Potatoes around the village,

giving each one a unique address, so they're ready to receive

the internet signal from high up on the hill.

Signal strength is 100%. It's going to work!

If I...log in to this IP address...

Disappointing.

That's disappointing.

THUNDER

As the weather sets in, there's a problem.

Ross and Ryan have promised the villagers internet and phone

by the morning, but their connection isn't reaching the village.

Definitely something wrong with the Mesh Potato.

I think it got reset while we were configuring it,

so now it's sort of in la-la land.

OK...

One of the transmitters at the top of the post is faulty

but it's 18 feet off the ground.

-WALKIE-TALKIE:

-'OK, there's a pointer which is up.'

Up, as in very high up, so if it's not working we're screwed?

I can't feel my hands, nothing works,

I'm cold, it's windy

and Ross keeps talking to me and he's really happy.

The sheep is looking at me.

What do you want? Internet? I'm working on it, all right?

I don't want to go back up the goddamn ladder.

Oh...

-WALKIE-TALKIE:

-'I can't see anything,

'so I think we've got to pack up.'

I really don't want to, but OK, I agree.

It's going to run...

That's what I've thought this whole time.

-That's what I've thought this whole time.

-And now you don't?

-I'm...

Yeah.

SHEEP BLEAT

'The next morning, I join Ross and Ryan for a grand unveiling

'of Staylittle's cutting-edge communication network,

'but it's not looking good.'

So, that is the long-distance connection that's essential.

-And I'm going to try and get that up right now.

-OK, wow.

'There's a problem in Endaf's barn.

'The Mesh Potato installed here

'should receive the internet signal first

'and then beam it to the houses.

'If it doesn't, no-one gets the internet.'

So, your priority now, just to be clear,

is to talk to the Mesh Potato on the pole.

That's right.

OK, so, I've got an IP address clash

between this and the thing on the pole.

It's just difficult. It's just really frigging difficult.

'Go on 12, Ross.'

Er, copy that. Our NanoStation is on 12.

-I see you!

-'Seriously?'

Wicked. Well done, Ryan!

-What have you done?

-I've got Google in the barn.

-He's done it!

-He's just accessed the internet and he's got a web page.

-There you go.

All right, I'm looking for the Wi-Fi. Comes up almost immediately.

"Palace walls scaled by convicted killer."

-That's impressive.

-That is impressive.

-This is actually working.

-Thanks very much, guys.

-OK.

-Man hugs.

-LAUGHTER

-Hello.

-Congratulations.

-Congratulations to you as well, man.

-Nice work, dude.

-Well done.

-Yay!

-Right on, man. Yes!

-I'd say have a lie-down in the sun...

-No, we've got work to do.

-No, no.

-..but you haven't got time.

With the system now live,

Ross and Ryan begin visiting the residents

to deliver phone lines and the internet.

-Your phone line here is actually down, right?

-Yeah.

-You haven't been able to call your mum for a couple of days.

-No.

-And this will be the first time you're calling her.

-That's right.

BEEPING

DIAL TONE

-'Hello.'

-Hi, Mum. Hello, Mum. It's David.

No, I'm not ill.

OK.

It's top of the world, it's fantastic.

Over the moon with both of you!

MUSIC: Call Me by Blondie

PHONE RINGS

-Hello.

-We're connected.

-Yeah, loud and clear.

-Awesome.

-Ooh!

-There you go, look. Can you see?

-Oh, yeah.

Hello, Marian, this is Nerys here.

I'm ringing you with a new system

and it's great, it's working.

-So, can you see we've got Staylittle Telecom?

-Oh, yeah.

Very impressive, very impressive.

Hi, Martin.

-'Hello!'

-Oh! Hooray!

Been really, really hard.

It's been a bit scrappy, but it's, fundamentally,

the key elements are in and working.

-What's the cost per household?

-Er, round about £100 per household.

-That's not too bad. That's for the kit?

-That's just for the kit.

And what about the ongoing costs?

It's going to be about £15 or £20 per household per year.

Wow! That's cheap!

For an emergency backup phone service

and basic access to the internet.

-That's pretty good.

-That's astonishing! Group hug.

THEY LAUGH

'Back in London, Haiyan is ready to present her final design.

'She hopes it will help Emma overcome her Parkinson's tremors.'

I'm excited and nervous for sure.

What are you nervous about?

Well, I think I've created something really new

-and possibly revolutionary.

-Wow.

But I'm not completely sure.

But is it actually going to work for her?

That is the big question.

'As a top graphic designer,

'Emma's desperate to be able to write and draw again.'

I'm so glad to have gotten this opportunity to work with you

and maybe to help you out a little bit. Emma...

I'm immediately very intrigued.

I get really shaky when I'm excited or nervous.

-And now you're both.

-I am both, yeah.

Ah, I don't even know what it is but it's awesome.

'Haiyan has now incorporated her vibrating wrist technology

'into a bespoke watch.

'She's also built an app for Emma

'which allows her to adjust the settings.

'This is the first time Emma's used it.

-Whoa.

-Whoa.

-Whoa.

-Has it started up?

-Yeah.

-I mean, how are you feeling?

What are you feeling when you're wearing it?

It's making my hand feel less stiff.

-Immediately?

-I'm actually still tremoring but...

..my hand feels more relaxed.

It's kind of distracting it a little bit, I think.

It feels soothing and...

I... Sorry, I'm just excited.

-That's wonderful, isn't it?

-Let's try something.

Jesus Christ...

Oh, my God!

Did it just work?

EMMA SOBS

Oh, my God!

I'm almost smudging it cos I'm too excited.

That's one of the most extraordinary things I've seen.

It's still doing it a little bit but that's to be expected. Crikey!

-Emma, you just wrote your name!

-I know!

-Twice!

It wasn't a fluke. It wasn't like a first time lucky.

And I'm so emotional.

In the middle of the day with minimal medication...

-When was the last time you were able to do that?

-Three years ago, maybe.

Oh, wow.

She came up with something that...

-You can't do THAT!

-Yeah, I can.

EMMA SOBS You just drew a straight line!

I haven't drawn one of them for a long time.

-It makes me forget that I have a tremor.

-Oh, my God.

EMMA SOBS

It's vibrating on your knee now, isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

-I'm so glad it worked!

-So am I!

-THEY LAUGH

I was so scared about putting my pen on the paper.

I didn't want to ruin it.

Look at this!

Oh, God.

-Haiyan thought this might help...

-By 10%, like 20%.

This is like... I think this is 80%.

-I was going to go up to 90.

-Jesus!

-Who are you going to call first?

-My mum.

I've actually just written my name for the first time in ages.

'I can't believe it! So, what happens now?

-'Does she get to keep it?'

-Well, yeah! Yeah!

-Mum, it's called the Emma.

-'Oh, brilliant!'

It's got my name on it and it comes with interchangeable faces

and wristbands, so I can change the colour.

'Has it got sequins?

'It's the..it's the old Emma! So important.'

Can't wait.

'Our team's inventions are already changing lives.

'James is using his camera to take pictures by himself.

'To celebrate, we've set up an exhibition

'for his friends and family.'

We were with you when you took these photos! We're even IN a photo!

Everyone loves this one.

He was just having a conversation with me

and I just, like, took the picture.

-How are we all feeling? KENNY:

-Great, fantastic!

-LESLIE:

-Yeah, we are. Because all these photos,

you gave him that. Um, you done it.

Yeah, I am feeling emotional but I'm not going to cry.

But, I mean, everyone loves them photos

and it's only through you, Jude, that he's done it, yeah.

It's been a real privilege.

-Thank you so much.

-I'm proud to be a part of it with you.

In Wales, the villagers of Staylittle now have access

to internet and backup phone lines.

-So, I have a new device called the Emma.

-Excellent.

And Emma is using her watch to do the job she loves.

Next time on Big Life Fix,

can the team help a paralysed man communicate with his wife...

Horrendous, not having his voice.

..give a teenage boy the chance to ride a bike

for the very first time...

This exercise has really illustrated how difficult it is.

If you don't fix it, try, try and try again.

..and design a new technology to help a farmer battling criminals?

Police don't stand a chance. They've got to catch them red-handed.