At the beginning of Lockdown in April this year, the son of OP Paul Ganjou (1960-65) launched a brand-new business created by a team of young entrepreneurs as a response to the Coronavirus crisis – Itshandi.com.
They were committed to building the world’s largest connected network of hand-sanitisation technology and whilst hand-sanitisers were nothing new, touchless, non-flammable, own-branded units using Internet of Things technology certainly was.
IoT is an exciting new growth area – the interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data. In Handi’s case, the IoT aerial is embedded in the totem so that monitoring and control – footfall, gel-supply and refilling etc – can all be done remotely, from wherever the Controller has an Internet connection.
The totems are smart, aesthetically pleasing, very manoeuvrable, can be used internally and externally and are almost indestructible. Paul thought that they might well fit in to SPS’s new and CV-updated Health and Safety programme, as and when the boys were allowed to return.
He discussed the idea with OPC Vice President Prof. Paul Cartledge and President Brian Jones – the original proposal being for the totems to be a gift, funded by a few individual OPs. Paul and Brian liked the idea and put the proposal to the OPC Executive Committee, which decided not only to go ahead, but to entirely fund the cost itself and make the donation as a goodwill gesture to the School. The 5 totems duly arrived at the end of August, just in time for the beginning of the new term. The inscription on them reads Donated by The Old Pauline Club.
Photo shows OPC President Brian Jones and SPS Head Porter Alex Borja with one of the donated totems