ePals, a product of Cricket Media, in partnership with the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, has opened the call for entries for the Spark!Lab Invent It Challenge. The Challenge offers eligible children from around the world the opportunity to showcase their creative thinking on a global stage and to win prizes such as a consultation with the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough law firm for an official patent filing, Camp Invention® scholarship, LEGO® kit, books from Smithsonian, a Boardr Boys Skateboard Starter Kit, and subscriptions to Cricket Media’s Science Magazines.
This year’s Challenge invites kids to think about a real-world health problem and come up with a solution. Specifically, the Challenge encourages them to tackle issues such as nutrition, the importance of sleep, preventing the spread of disease, street safety, screen time, assistive technologies, mental and emotional health, sports safety, healthy air and water and elder health.
Highlights from the 2015 Invent It! Challenge winners include the following solutions by young inventors:
- An Earth-friendly portable water filtration system to help people without access to clean water.
- A tool dubbed “The Mudlite,” which harvests electricity from mud. This tool was able to harness enough energy to power an LED
- A.N.A., the Autonomous Nurse Assistant. A.N.A. is a robotic nurse that can deliver food, water or medicine to a sick patient
The deadline for submitting inventions to the Spark!Lab Invent It Challenge is March 18, 2016. For complete entry guidelines and Official Rules, visit http://challenges.epals.com/inventit2016.
