Featured Projects

High school students can develop innovative solutions that make the world a better place. All of our student teams take a human-centered approach to develop physical technology products that solve a need in their communities. Students work directly with people in their neighborhoods to invent solutions that create a better, safer, more equitable world. Here are some projects from previous years.

Adaptplay gaming controller with two large orange plastic buttons and a joystick on a wooden base. Behind it is a baseball cap behind it with a motion sensor attached by a wire to the breadboard on the wooden base.

adaptplay

An adaptive gaming controller for individuals with limited mobility.

adaptplay

Gorge Makerspace
White Salmon, WA
Project Invent 2018-2019
$1000 SocialWithin Award Winner

AdaptPlay is a customized keyboard and mouse that allows those with limited motor skills to use a computer. It features two large buttons as mouse clicks and a modified joystick to accommodate those who have trouble with fine motor movements. It also features a hat that detects head tilt to control the mouse. The product was designed by four students from schools across Oregon and Washington state. They were motivated to design the controller by a fellow classmate, Jose, who has cerebral palsy and was excited to use the new device to play Minecraft, just like any other teenager.

These students were invited to visit the engineers at Microsoft behind the XBOX Adaptive Conotroller in order to get an exclusive tour and design advice on their product. Their hard work and focus on designing a product that filled the needs of their user Jose were key to their win at Demo Day.

The four members of the Adaptplay team from Washington pose during Demo Day.

Get in Touch: adaptplayteam@gmail.com

A small red cardboard box, about 2 by 2 by 4 inches, with protruding wires and a cutout that displays a proximity sensor. The front of the box is labelled with a yellow sign that says " Caution " above an icon of a person in a wheelchair

ultradot

A proximity sensing sign for wheelchair accessible vans.

ultradot

East Palo Alto Academy
East Palo Alto, CA
Project Invent 2018-2019
$1000 Wieden+Kennedy Award Winner

Ultradot is a proximity sensing sign for wheelchair accessible vans. It was designed by students from the East Palo Alto Academy and was motivated by their interactions with their community partner, Abigayil Tamara, a long time wheelchair user residing in Sunnyvale, CA. The device uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect when drivers block the side of a van that deploys access ramps for wheelchair accessible vans. It activates a buzzer to alert the driver to not park in that spot and ensure that the wheelchair user doesn't have to wait hours to return to their car.

Six boys from the Ultradot team pose with their two mentors during Demo Day.
A transparent rectangular prism of yellow acrylic about the size of an eyeglasses case contains a controller and wires that extend out of the box. These wires connect to an elastic headband with a sensor on the inside and a small white oblong piece of plastic fitted to the top of it.

betaband

A football field kit to detect early signs of concussion.

betaband

Generator Makerspace
Burlington, VT
Project Invent 2018-2019

The BetaBand is an on-field kit to help coaches detect early signs of concussion in football players before the injuries become more serious. This group of four high school senior girls saw their football-playing peers constantly having to miss school because of concussion-related injuries. Upon further research, they learned that across the country, 67,000 football-related concussions occur every year. They set out to change that. These four girls from Vermont spent many evenings on the football field, observing practices and games to determine how to make a difference in the problem.

They invented BetaBand, a smart device that can be worn as a headband by any player and tracks a user's beta brain waves after a player sustains a hard head injury. If there are irregularities in a player's brain waves, the player is recommended to receive further medical treatment. Their coach, Rachel Hooper says, "None of these girls came into this project thinking they were inventors or makers...all of them have been radically transformed and now know that they can change the world."

The Betaband team of four girls from Vermont pose during Demo Day.
 
 
A girl wearing a dark gray Stria belt. The powder blue silicone-covered belt buckle is about the size of a credit card, protruding slightly from her hip.

stria

A smart belt for blind users to avoid dangerous veering.

stria

The Nueva School
San Mateo, CA
Project Invent 2017-2018
AT&T Inventor's Challenge Winner
SXSWedu Student Startup Competition Winner
Patent Pending
See more at stria.org

Stria is an internationally recognized invention created by sophomores at The Nueva School. The goal of the Stria band is to provide a safe walk home for all blind people who face problems daily with veering. Veering is when an individual is unable to walk in a straight path, and “veers” off from their original direction. This causes life threatening incidents every single day. Stria uses direction sensors and vibration feedbackto let users know when they are veering unintentionally. This will be especially helpful in loud and busy public areas where relying on sound for navigation is not an option.

The Stria team pose at their booth during Demo Day with various prototypes and Stria branded gear.
 
 
 

perch

A self-guided, autonomous caddy for wheelchair users to shop freely.

perch

Apex High School
Apex, NC
Project Invent 2018-2019
$1500 Panel's Choice Award

A caddy trails behind a wheelchair that is pointed away from the viewer in a room illuminated by wood-lined windows. The caddy is made of black plastic bin about 2 feet square and 1 foot deep. It is attached to a chassis of similar size and material by four rods at the corners of the bin. The chassis, housed by an inverted version of the top bin, contains a visible wheel with a tire. The plastic bin is about the height of the wheelchair's seat.

Perch is a self-guided, autonomous caddy for people with ambulatory disabilities. Perch works through the use of ultrasound. A transmitter is mounted on the wheelchair or use, which continually sends out bursts of ultrasound. Perch is equipped with two of its own ultrasonic sensors modified only to receive the bursts. Perch uses the microsecond response time reported by each of its sensors to judge its distance and angle in relation to the transmitter on the wheelchair or user and adjusts itself according to the information.

The Perch team from North Carolina pose during Demo Day.
 
Two hands with their palms facing upward hold a palm-sized object in the shape of a pebble. The object glows softly with a white light through its translucent, purple-grey silicone shell.

unwind

A stress ball that pulses like a heartbeat to help reduce anxiety and stress.

unwind

The Nueva School
San Mateo, CA
Project Invent 2017-2018
$1000 Panel's Choice Award
Paradigm Challenge Finalist
See more at unwind.design

Meet Unwind – the next generation stress ball. Unwind is a snug handheld device designed to reduce stress with a comforting pulse and calm light. Our device is here to give you the confidence and comfort you need to accomplish what you know you are capable of. Anxiety, stress, and nervousness are no longer in your way. With Unwind, mindfulness becomes tangible.

Three girls on the Unwind team pose with their awarded check.
 
Blue tablecloth with watch, stickers, and gadgets with wires. A circle device inside packaging with the name Alertra and two rings of colors around it.

Alertra

A wearable fire notification system for people with hearing impairments.

Alertra

Mount Olive High School
Flanders, NJ
Project Invent 2021-2022

Team Mount Olive partnered with the Leary Firefighters Foundation to create a wearable alert system that can help people that are deaf or hard of hearing during an emergency. The goal of their product is to save lives while also reducing the risk for firefighters when dispatched on a call.

Three girls on the Unwind team pose with their awarded check.
 
Blue tablecloth with watch, stickers, and gadgets with wires. A circle device inside packaging with the name Alertra and two rings of colors around it.

SilentSiren

A device that informs civilians about an approaching fire vehicle's predicted route.

SilentSiren

Remote Team
Henrico, VA and Olympia, WA
Project Invent 2021-2022

SilentSiren is a device that flashes a light to indicate a firefighter’s predicted route and inform civilians about an approaching fire vehicle. SilentSiren is designed to bridge the gap between civilians and first responders. Simultaneously, it will assist the first responders to get to their destination quicker and helps reduce nearby civilians’ stress.

Three girls on the Unwind team pose with their awarded check.
 
Squggle Prototype.

Squggle

A remote communication device for users who face challenges with speaking.

Squggle

Gorge MakerSpace
White Salmon, WA
Project Invent 2021-2022

Squggle enables communication between users who want to be in touch with loved ones, yet face challenges with speaking. Everyone who wants a squeeze, a hug, or a cuddle now and then will benefit from Squggle.

Three girls on the Unwind team pose with their awarded check.
 

Project Recognitions

Teams have submitted their projects and won over $20,000 from innovation competitions after Project Invent. Here are a few featured recognitions.

 

What will you invent?