Inventing their future

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared December 18, 2003 in the News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

Imagine a world of creature comforts and crash-proof cars. That’s what 72 area third-graders predict our world will be like 20 years from now.

All are students at lmmaculate Heart of Mary School in Brandywine Hundred and are preparing for a science and technology competition called ExploraVision. They are among thousands of schoolchildren (kindergarten-12th grade) in the United States and Canada taking part in a competition sponsored by Toshiba Corp. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association.

This is the first year the IHM students have entered the contest. Last year, they tackled PowerPoint and did very well at it, said school technology coordinator Elaine Jackson.

"Toshiba’s ExploraVision seemed like a perfect match for them," said Jackson.

The competition, which encourages hands-on technology also helps meet state standards for science education, Jackson noted.

"The children are all excited about inventions, and they all think they’re going to win," Jackson said.

They began by studying current technologies - from a pencil to a computer - and imagined what those technologies would be like in 20 years. After brain-storming, they identified a problem current technology doesn’t solve and presented a possible solution.

One group came up with The Stand-Up Tub, a shower with robotic hands that would wash a person automatically. Because of special seals, the shower would fill with water like a tub.

"We thought this would be a good thing to do, said Christian Thompson. "It’s really not as complex as it sounds."

"You push a button and a hand will come out and scrub you," said teammate Maria Limmina. Thompson and Limmina worked with Rachel Stewart. All are 8 years old.

"I think if we could sell these showers, we would be rich," added Limmina.

An Automated Closet was proposed by 8-year-old Heather McAdams, Colleen Byrnes and Madeleine Boland. The closet would allow the girls to to request an outfit by color or style and have it automatically presented. The girls, who got their idea from a dry-cleaner’s carousel, worked on a prototype closet using doll clothes.

Three boys want to design The Crash-Proof Car. "First we were going to do an engine," said Thomas "Twoey" Marconi. "Then we thought how do cars not crash."

“We thought wouldn’t it be great if we had a car that wouldn’t crash," said Arthur Annone who worked with Marconi and Jack Christman, all 9. The car would sense the distance between it and the car in front of it and would beep if the difference was less than five seconds to impact.

Mentor Harry Christman said there are companies currently working on such a vehicle, but none has yet made it to market. Christman, a DuPont Co. engineer, volunteers regularly in the computer class.

Two teams sought to improve on skateboards. Three boys would put a jet pack on the back of a skateboard to make it go uphill. Ryan Mayberry and C.J. Pineda, both 9, and Jack Schanne, 8, customized a skateboard.

Eight-year-olds Lauren Guthrie, Nicole Webb and Heather Levinsky researched a hovercraft skateboard online. Two other teams would improve on the conventional bicycle. One called its bike a Water Bike and the other A Bike With Air Conditioning and Heater. The Water Bike was described as a cross between a bike, a surfboard and a paddleboat.

"It’s hard, hard plastic — instead of metal. Only it’s a bicycle," said Sarah Blythe, 9.

"It floats on water like how you float a paddleboat," said Robby Bolden, 8. Teammates Steven Scheidegg, 8, and Bolden disagreed on whether or not the Water Bike would cause water to freeze. And the boys’ estimated cost of "a few hundred dollars" for the bike was off the mark, Blythe said.

The all-weather bike was the idea of Laura Milowicki and Madeline Cowperthwaite, both 8, and Emily Cap, 9. Their original idea was a tent that would set itself up. A little packet under the bike seat would heat the bike. Air conditioning would be provided by a tube inside the rider's bike helmet.

All the teams will make prototypes or computer drawings of their inventions.

"In January, we'll be going pretty much at high speed," said Jackson. All the inventions will be displayed at an IHM science fair in late January before being entered in ExploraVision in February.

An ExploraVision judging committee will select 24 winning regional teams to compete in the national competition next spring. From that number, eight national finalist teams will receive a free trip to Washington, D.C., in June. The four first-place teams will receive $10,000 savings bonds and the four second-place teams $5,000 savings bonds.