invent your world winners
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“What can you invent to make life easier, the planet greener and the world better?”
That was the key question posed by the 2009 Invent Your World Challenge - a partnership between Ashoka’s Youth Venture and the Lemelson Foundation. Nearly 300 youth from 30 countries answered the call with their own invention ideas. Fifty invention ventures are being launched. A panel of judges met to pick the top five...
Invent Your World 2009
Excellence Award$20,000 scholarship
Trip to global roundtable on climate change at MIT
The VERSATILE SystemJavier Fernandez-Han, 15Houston, TX, USA
Achievement Award$1,000 prize
Trip to global roundtable on climate change at MIT
AVANZAPablo Alejandro Medrano, 23Andrea Céspedes, 25Salta, Argentina
Dynamic PhotovoltaicsEden Full, 16Calgary, AB, Canada
HandibotVincent Thiberville, 20Champs sur Marne, France
Rainwater for HumanityCarolyn Aker, 18Providence, RI, USA
Ashoka Lemelson Awards
“An invention that is narrowly focused on solving a single problem often inadvertently
creates more problems because nature is highly complex and
interconnected.“
Javier Fernandez-HanAge 15
Houston, TX, USA
The VERSATILE System
Javier Fernandez-Han, 15Houston, TX, USA
At the tender age of 9, Javier Fernandez-Han found his calling: design for the other 90 percent - help the world’s poor meet their basic needs sustainably.
Several years of research and design have led to an innovative solution: The VERSATILE System - a mashup of new and existing technology that treats waste, produces methane and bio-oil as fuel, produces food for humans and livestock, sequesters greenhouse gases, and produces oxygen.
What drives this complete energy resource system? Algae - the little organism that could. Gone are the days when algae are viewed only as “pond scum.”
Invent Your World 2009
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“Every 30 seconds, there is an amputation due to diabetes,
which translates to more than one million amputations a year. The good news is that 85% of
these amputations can be prevented.“
Pablo Alejandro MedranoAge 23
Salta, Argentina
AVANZA
Pablo Alejandro Medrano, 23Jovita Andrea Céspedes, 25
Salta, Argentina
Pablo Alejandro Medrano has seen the impact of “diabetic foot” first hand. His own grandfather suffered from diabetes, developed an infection on his feet, and had to have both legs amputated.
This explains his passion for AVANZA, a venture Pablo launched with Andrea Céspedes to make disposable cellulose insoles for diabetics. They help users better oxygenate the feet, maintain better hygiene, and prevent infections that can lead to amputation.
The insoles meet doctors’ recommendations for feet care and are new to the Argentine market.
Invent Your World 2009
“What began as a simple personal interest in solar energy turned into something more meaningful when I realized I could use my passion for science to help
others improve energy accessibility in
developing countries.“
Eden FullAge 16
Calgary, AB, Canada
Dynamic Photovoltaics
Eden Full, 16Calgary, Canada
Harvesting solar energy can be a costly enterprise but Dynamic Photovoltaics is making it more affordable - and efficient - by developing the first cost-effective solar panel tracking system capable of accurate movement.
That means the panels can follow the sun’s movement throughout the day. More direct exposure means better performance.
Not only is the system easy to operate, it is also made of commonly found affordable materials, making it easy to maintain in developing countries.
Invent Your World 2009
“By giving handicapped people access to artistic creation, we are hoping to create a feeling of liberation.“
Vincent ThibervilleAge 20
Champs sur Marne, France
Handibot
Vincent Thiberville, 20 Champs sur Marne, France
Handibot’s mission is simple yet ambitious: create robots that can help physically and mentally challenged people express their creativity through painting.
It started when a painter who acquired polyarthritis asked Vincent Thiberville to create technology that could help him paint despite his illness. Since then, Vincent has developed seven prototypes to address different needs.
The latest modification allows the used paint water to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way.
Invent Your World 2009
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“As students in a country where we can choose which type of
water to drink, we want to give everyone access to what should
be a basic human right.“
Carolyn AkerAge 18
Providence, RI, USA
Rainwater for Humanity
Carolyn Aker, 18Providence, RI, USA
Rainwater for Humanity helps villagers of Kuttanad, India harvest rain in order to conserve water, empower women entrepreneurs, and boost community health.
The team of Brown University students have optimized the design of rainwater storage reservoirs and catchment systems, ensuring that they are simple, sustainable, and eco-friendly.
Using locally available materials, they construct cisterns with 265 ft3 capacity and built-in purification systems to capture rain from existing rooftops. Each structure will provide a family with a year’s worth of clean water, eliminating disease as well as save them the four hours a day that would otherwise be spent gathering water.
Invent Your World 2009
For more information on Invent Your World and this year’s invention ventures, please visit
www.genvcampaigns.org
To interview winners and other young inventorsplease email info@genvcampaigns.org
Got an idea that can change the world?Launch your own social venture!
Check out Ideas 2 Venture on GenVCampaigns.org
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