Magic Carpet

With our 25 Voices series, we’re shining a light on the people and innovations that help Lifelites technology make a difference in children’s palliative care. One of the most loved pieces of equipment in our packages is the Magic Carpet. As an interactive projection system, it brings to life ponds, fireworks and football games. Magic Carpet is an incredible tool to enable play, creativity, and connection to life for children and families.

Behind this remarkable technology is Lee Blemings, Founder and CEO of Sensory Guru. Inspired by his sister’s experiences growing up with complex needs, Lee has spent his life creating inclusive, adaptive technologies that allow everyone to participate and express themselves. In this story, he shares how his personal journey led to the creation of Magic Carpet, and how our partnership has helped ensure children in hospices and other care settings across the UK can enjoy its magic every day.

A Personal Journey Toward Inclusive Technology

I grew up with a younger sister who has complex needs. She experienced a brain injury in early childhood due to whooping cough, and later developed Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which means she can have hundreds of seizures a day. That shaped her development profoundly. By the age of six, she moved from mainstream education into a SEND school.

Most of her memories and reference points come from that early time in her life – films like Santa Claus: The Movie, old Disney programmes, favourite toys. These are still her anchors today. People sometimes question whether those things are “age appropriate” now, but my view is simple: if they’re the things that bring her joy and connection, then they’re exactly what’s right for her.

That way of thinking – focusing on what’s best for the individual rather than how others might perceive it – has always guided my approach to technology.

Alongside that family experience, my own brain is wired with autism and ADHD circuits, which perhaps explains why I’ve been so driven to push for more accessible, inclusive systems. Too many people are failed by rigid structures like mainstream education, and I’ve long wanted to change that.

Creating Magic Carpet: From Prototype to Innovation

At school I loved computing and music, and those became the gateways to my career. By my early twenties I was experimenting with adaptive instruments and play-based technologies – ways for people with very different abilities to create and interact together. A few years later, I became fascinated by visual technologies, and when I was 29, I created the very first version of what became Magic Carpet.

In the early days, Magic Carpet was a ceiling-mounted installation for sensory rooms – the only system of its kind at the time. Those first successes gave us the momentum to keep developing.

The Lifelites Connection: Making Technology Accessible Everywhere

Around 2015, I crossed paths with Bryan Giddings (SeeIT Works) and Simone Enefer-Doy (then CEO of Lifelites) at a tech exhibition. Lifelites had seen our work in hospices like Helen and Douglas House, and they had a challenge for us: could we make a smaller, portable version that could reach children wherever they were, not just in the sensory room?

It was perfect timing – we were already exploring mobile systems. The first versions were quite hands-on, with Bryan assembling them at the hospices, but soon we developed pre-built units with adjustable height that were much more user-friendly.

One of the first Lifelites Magic Carpets even made it onto The Gadget Show. Ours was the bright yellow model, and Bryan ended up playing football against a robotic dinosaur – a moment I still smile about.

Over the years, feedback from Lifelites and their partners has been crucial in driving improvements. We’ve upgraded the software, shifted to laser projection for longer life, and introduced USB camera technology for better interactivity. Looking ahead to 2025, we’re preparing a complete software rewrite: a new interface, new applications, more responsive interactivity, and switch input support to broaden accessibility even further.

Over the past year, we’ve also been working on a mini Magic Carpet. With the arrival of smaller projectors, we can finally bring that idea to life – and at a more affordable price point. This means Magic Carpet can move further out into the community, into children’s homes and spaces where families and carers can access it more easily.

Evolving the Magic Carpet: AI, Affordability, and Accessibility

Sometimes we have the ideas years before the technology catches up – it’s part of the challenge of working in this space. Right now, we’re also prototyping AI features, like Quiz Builders and matching games. AI is clearly going to be transformative, but rolling it out responsibly means working with care teams and therapy staff so they feel confident using it. That’s not always easy in under-resourced sectors, but the potential is enormous.

What makes it all worthwhile is hearing how Magic Carpet helps children express themselves, or how it brings families and siblings together. Those stories are a reminder of why we do this. We spend so much time in the technical side of development, but hearing about the impact on children and families is what keeps us energised.

Working with Lifelites has been a big part of that journey. They’ve made sure Magic Carpet can reach children and young people with life-limiting conditions, providing training and support that amplifies its impact. And their feedback continues to shape its future.

For me, that’s the essence of this work: creating technology that doesn’t just exist in the abstract, but changes lives in very real, personal ways.

Lee Blemings – Founder and CEO @ Sensory Guru