Today, the Lemelson-MIT Program awarded 15 teams up to $10,000 each in grant funding as part of its 2014–2015 InvenTeam initiative.
Proposed invention projects from the 2014-2015 InvenTeams include a safety device for children in hot cars to prevent vehicular heatstroke, a personalized, interactive learning experience for students with special needs to help students enjoy and excel in school, and a vacuum that attaches to New York City subways to pick up garbage on the tracks to minimize environmental health hazards.
The 2014–2015 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams and their proposed inventions are:
Safety First
§ Concord High School (Wilmington, Del.): Metal detection system for hospital textile cleaning
§ Davenport West High School (Davenport, Iowa): Heat detection bracelet with communication features for children and pets in warm vehicles
§ Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High (San Diego, Calif.): Animal welfare containment and notification system
§ Hill Country Education Foundation (Austin, Texas): Continuous flow water device for fire fighters
§ South Brunswick High School (Monmouth Junction, N.J.): Proximity sensor and alert system for automobile doors
§ University High School (Irvine, Calif.): Aerial wilderness distress monitor and search system
Aiding Others
§ Coppell High School (Coppell, Texas): Interactive training device for students with special needs
§ Northampton High School (Northampton, Mass.): Self-feathering rowing oar for people with physical disabilities
§ Wahlert Catholic High School (Dubuque, Iowa): Anti-rollback device for manual wheelchairs
Inventing Green
§ Baruch College Campus High School (New York, N.Y.): Detachable rubbish vacuum for New York City subways
§ Broken Arrow Senior High School (Broken Arrow, Okla.): Low-cost, sustainable fish food for developing countries
§ John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics & Science (Roxbury, Mass.): Autonomous solar panel cleaning device
§ Laguna Beach High School (Laguna Beach, Calif.): Water disinfection system utilizing solar power for developing countries
§ SAIL High School (Tallahassee, Fla.): Autonomous weed removal robot for small scale farming
§ St. Anne’s-Belfield School (Charlottesville, Va.): Lightweight, low-cost water filtration device for use after a natural disaster
The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam application for the 2015–2016 school year is now available at http://lemelson.mit.edu/inventeams. Teams of high school students, teachers and mentors are encouraged to apply.
