An after-school science club’s tournament-winning invention likely won’t interest kids, or even teens.
Members of the First Lego League in Suwanee won over judges and their target audience by designing a product to help seniors get out of chairs — an inflatable, wedge-shaped air cushion called the E-Z Inflatable that fits into the seat.
“We talked to seniors, and one of the seniors said, ‘I have a hard time just standing up and getting out the chair,’ ” said Quintin Kerns, 13, a seventh-grader at Cornerstone Christian Academy.
Other seniors nodded in agreement.
In January, the club members, who call themselves the Determinators, wowed judges in all three categories of the state tournament and won first place. This week, the group is competing in the First Lego League World Festival in St. Louis. Winners will be announced Saturday.
Every year, the First Lego League competition inspires young people to pursue careers in science and technology. One part of the contest involves designing a robot. In a second category, the judges pay attention to the team’s “core values,” such as good sportsmanship.
A third component involves a research project and a presentation. Every year, the competition has a different theme. Last year, it was food safety, and the Determinators made a gelatin spray with grapefruit seed extract to prevent mold growth. This year, the theme was “Senior Solutions.”
In August, the Determinators, who meet twice a week, interviewed residents at Noble Village, a senior-living home in Suwanee. Then they went to work, starting out with paper and scotch tape, and then switching to a blue camping air mattress, plastic tarp and duct tape. The team used the Pythagorean Theorem to get the angles and dimensions of the cushion just right.
The E-Z Inflatable grabbed the attention of BrightStar Care, a national franchise that provides medical and non-medical care to people in their homes.
BrightStar also provided important feedback on the product. During a video conference, Sharon Roth Maguire, senior vice president of quality and clinical operations, explained to the kids that the placement of the product’s air pump — outside the wedge cushion and connected to a tube — posed a tripping hazard. Maguire suggested the air pump be embedded into the wedge so there wouldn’t be anything exposed. So the kids revamped the cushion and made a battery-powered air pump.
BrightStar also decided to be the team’s corporate sponsor and cover the students’ travel expenses for the world competition. Local attorney Greg Smith donated his time to file a provisional patent on the Determinators’ behalf.
The eight-person, coed team includes students from 11 to 13 who live in or near Suwanee. A few attend Cornerstone Christian Academy; several are home schooled.
Maddie Camp, 13, said she learned a lot about product development and patents, and she enjoyed talking to seniors.
“The hardest part was programming and designing the robot,” Camp said. “I am not a technical person at all, but I happen to be very good at writing, so I wrote the script for presenting the E-Z Inflatable to judges.”
During a recent presentation at Noble Village, the Determinators eagerly presented the latest E-Z Inflatable — now available with removable washable covers in four fabrics: pleather, floral, a plaid and solid beige. The Determinators also swapped out the blue camping mattress for durable, wedge shaped vinyl. And it now has an easy off/on switch.
The idea was to come up with a portable and cheaper alternative to lift chairs, which can cost several hundred dollars.
During the presentation, residents smiled, asked lots of questions, then applauded and treated the team to an ice cream social.
The Determinators also showed off their robot, which performs tasks associated with challenges seniors might face, such as climbing up the stairs and taking the correct medicine. For one mission, the robot must use its arm to pick up the correct medicine bottle. With each bottle a different color, the Determinators used a color sensor to identify the correct bottle.
“It drove all by itself. They thought we were controlling it. And our hands were empty,” said Kerns. “A couple of them — their jaws were dropped.”
Ken Halley, the team’s coach, said he starts every meeting with a short, team-building exercise. He also emphasizes being respectful and talks about how every member contributes in his or her own way.
“They all have seen the potential when they work together as a team, that they can accomplish more as a team than as an individual, and they all have bought in,” he said.
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