High School Kids Inventions

Kids inventions are often regarded by adults in a somewhat condescending way.

They are considered more of an exercise meant to encourage scientific curiosity among kids, than a source for real innovation.

The inventions i share on this page, are different: they are real innovative creations.

If an high school kid can come up with such great inventions full of potential – there is hope for the rest of us.

Invention #1 - Improving the air we breath

The Invention: Algae-Mobile 3 is a device that helps prevent pollution from our cars.

It fits onto a car’s exhaust and uses algae to convert the polluting carbon dioxide emitted from our cars into oxygen.

How it works: This bioactive filter is a transparent container, fitted on a car exhaust. At both sides it has membranes that allow gas to pass.

When the toxic carbon dioxide is emitted from the process of burning gas to propel the car, it enters the container through the first membrane and passes through a liquid mixture containing a live colony of algae and a light-emitting diode (LED).

Photosynthesis occurs, transforming the carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar. The harmless oxygen is then released through the exit port.

Why it’s so great: It’s able to reduce the original carbon dioxide levels within the car exhaust by 89 percent on average, and will only cost around 30$ a piece.

It makes a difference and is affordable – a real solution that might help reduce our cars pollution impact on our health and on the global carbon imprint.

The inventor: Param Jaggy, a senior at a Texas high school, has been working on this development during his high school years. 

Invention 2#: Helping to cure cancer

Here is another great kids inventions story. Amy Chyao was 16 years old when she came up with her invention, a method that will help eradicate cancer, using light waves.

The invention: a potential breakthrough drug therapy, which uses light to target and eradicate cancer.

How it works: Amy developed a photo dynamic therapy, which uses light to target cancer cells. Her invention uses infrared light to turn normal oxygen in our bodies to highly reactive oxygen that kills cancer cells.

Why it’s so great: Current photodynamic therapies are used to treat skin cancers, but are limited but how deep in the body the light can penetrate. Her invention allows to penetrate even deeper into the body and hopefully treat new types of cancer, that have previously been in accessible.

The inventor: 16-year-old Amy Chyao, was a junior at a Richardson Texas high school.

Chyao’s invention was impressive enough to get her an audience with US president Obama. In his speech he refers to this one example of many kids inventions as a reason for hope and a source of inspiration.

Invention #3: Helping access drinkable water

The invention: inspired by a personal incidence, in which her hometown well was flooded and her town's water supply was contaminated with sewage, Bick invented cell phone application that helps determines if the concentration of bacteria in a photographed sample of water, makes it unsafe to drink.

How it works: Adding a common chemical used in water-quality testing into a sample of water colours the water yellow. The more bacteria the darker the hue.

The application Bick developed has an algorithm that reads and analyzes the yellow pixel intensity in a photo of the chemical agent water simple. It allows to quickly analyse the concentration of bacteria in a water sample, even through a low resolution photo. It gives an immediate response back – water safe to drink or not.

Why it’s so great: Her invention is 18 hours faster, 200 times less expensive, and as accurate as standard bacteria tests.

This could potentially be extremely helpful in developing countries or in emergency situations.

The inventor: Alison Dana Bick from a high school in Milborn NJ. 

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