TOP 8 YOUTH INVENTIONS

Compiled by: Mbeyune Hanani K

The innovative potential of young people, combined with the power of technology, is already proving to be a powerful force on the road to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Here are eight stories where creative youth with passionate visionaries intertwine to give life development initiatives. These youths not only excel in school, but their productivity, innovation, and ingenuity have created some interesting inventions that could reshape our lives and the promotion of better health systems.

1. DIY Braille Printer

First on our list of inventions is pretty ingenious. At 13 years old, Shubham Banerjee managed to create a working Braille printer. He used a Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit and about $5 of hardware from Home Depot to do the job. It is considerably cheaper than other Braille printers on the market that tended to come in at $2,000 a piece at the time! Shubham launched a startup in 2015, Braigo Labs, with his parents that have since released an app and web platform that continues to grow to further develop this innovative technology which has lately attracted investment from Intel.

2. Pedal-powered washing machine

Our next teenage inventor, Remya Jose, a 14-year-old from India, was asked to do the laundry when her mother became ill. She was less than impressed with the amount of time and energy she needed to wash the clothes from the nearby river. She took some recycled bicycle parts to create an appliance that saves time, energy and keeps you fit, all at the same time. This device has countless applications especially in areas lacking electricity, and for those who wish to save time on exercising and chores.

3. Poo power

In 2013, Kenya's Maseno School opened its new dormitories for over 700 students. The area around the buildings often smelt because of pit latrines and defective sewage systems which as well polluted the local water supplies. Leroy Mwasary, a student there, and four friends decided to come up with a solution, a human waste bioreactor that would convert waste into clean cooking fuel for the kitchen. Fast forward a few years and Leroy, now founder of Greenpact, aims to provide biogas to over six million Kenyans who lack adequate sanitation and reliable fuel sources.

4. 11-year old Cancer Survivor Invented Chemotherapy Bag

When she was 8 years old, Kylie Simonds of Naugatuck, Connecticut was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissues. Throughout her illness, one of the obstacles she endured were I-V pole wires that would cause her to constantly trip. She invented a pediatric IV backpack, which is a wearable, portable IV machine for kids receiving chemotherapy or transfusions. She calls it the I-Pack.

Kylie's design won a prize at the Connecticut Invention Convention in August 2014. She is now in remission and recovering from the ordeal. She has also secured a patent and is trying to raise money to put the backpack into production.

5. 13-Year Old Invented Lollipop That Cures Hiccups

In 2012, thirteen-year-old Kievman launched a lucrative business built around her unusual cure for hiccups. Her idea came after she was afflicted with hiccups two years before and decided to test a number of remedies, from sipping water out of an upside-down cup to drinking salt water.

After curing her hiccups, she combined her three favorite remedies to form her own cure for the annoying ailment.

Her three part cure is composed of sugar, apple cider vinegar, and lollipops. Her invention has already received a considerable amount of attention and has resulted in her enlistment of M.B.A. students, who will assist with launching her start-up.

6. The Sophomore Prodigy Who Created a Pancreatic Cancer Detection Tool

Over 85 percent of all pancreatic cancers are diagnosed late, when someone has less than two percent chance of survival.

News broke in 2011 that a test had been developed that might detect early pancreatic cancer, causing shock waves all around since the test hadn't been developed by some renowned cancer research institute, but by a 15-year-old high school freshman named Jack Andraka.

Jack later convinced an eminent cancer researcher to let him use his lab to develop his theory, even before he even had a license to drive. While the test must undergo years of clinical trials, the biotech industry has already beaten a path to Jack's door.

7. Teenager Won an Award for his Invention Which Turns CO2 into Oxygen While you Drive

Param Jaggi, a 17-year-old senior at Plano East High School won an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for his environmentally friendly invention which cleans car exhaust that would normally pollute the air. He came up with the idea after seeing how much carbon dioxide was released from a car.

He named it the “Algae Mobile,” which is inserted into the exhaust pipe on the back side of a car. Through photosynthesis, the algae inside the gas-permeable, aluminum alloy tube converts carbon dioxide into oxygen and releases it into the air.

8. High School Students Invented an Air Freshener out of Cow Poop

Have you ever thought about making air freshener using cow manure? Well, two high school students from Indonesia did. Dwi Nailul Izzah and Rintya Aprianti Miki won first prize in the country's Science Project Olympiad with their alternative and environmentally-friendly air freshener. It is said to have a natural fragrance of herbs and is good for human health because it doesn't contain any harmful chemicals like other fresheners on the market.

They collected cow dung from a cattle farm and left it to ferment for three days. They then extracted water from the cow dung and mixed it with coconut water, distilled the liquid to remove any impurities and the end product is a liquid air freshener with a natural aroma of herbs from digested cow food.

Compiled by: Mbeyune Hanani K