Invent Your World 2009Ashoka Lemelson Award Winners

“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