DEARBORN, Mich., July 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The Henry Ford hosted over 435 youth inventors from
across the country at the ninth annual RTX Invention
Convention U.S. Nationals June 5-7,
2024. In addition to competing, participants had the
opportunity to pitch their inventions to the casting team from
ABC's Shark Tank and meet Invention Convention student
alumni who recently secured patents for their inventions.
The multi-day experience culminated on Friday, June 7 with an awards ceremony hosted by
The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation correspondent Albert Lawrence. More than 77 awards, including
cash prizes, trophies, medals, and patent applications were
recognized.
The list of winners can be found here and many youth
inventors focused their inventions on creative solutions designed
to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges.
BlindSpace was invented by Arnav
Chaphalkar, an 8th grade student from
Illinois, who won 4 awards: Most
Innovative Award presented by RTX, Patent Application Award
presented by WilmerHale, 8th Grade – 1st
Place Award and Health and Medical Award presented by Danaher
Foundation. BlindSpace is a revolutionary AI-powered device
designed to empower blind and visually impaired individuals. With
the simple press of a button on a walking stick, BlindSpace
captures a photo of the surrounding environment and delivers a
verbal description through an earpiece, providing just the right
amount of information—no need to fumble with complex apps or
touchscreens. This seamless hardware-software integration
sets BlindSpace apart, allowing users to navigate unknown
environments.
Other themes emerged in the problems the inventors identified
and sought to solve, including Environment and Sustainability,
Health and Medical and Safety. One essential strength of the
program is building lifelong confidence in invention, innovation,
and entrepreneurship.
Invention Convention Worldwide is a K-12 invention education
program aligned with national and state education standards that
teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving,
entrepreneurship and creativity skills. The program builds lifelong
confidence in invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The
vision of Invention Convention Worldwide is to bring Invention
Education to students everywhere.
"RTX has supported Invention Convention for over 30 years with
funding, leadership and volunteers to help inspire and encourage
students to develop an interest in STEM career paths," said
Juan de Bedout, senior vice president & chief technology
officer at RTX. "Our partnership with Invention Convention
provides an intentional bridge between education and industry –
preparing students across the country to be visionaries and
inventors."
More than 178,000 K-12 inventors
from across the country participated in Invention Convention
Worldwide programs during the 2023-2024 school year, with the hopes
of advancing to the U.S. national competition.
Students compete at local and regional levels before advancing
to the U.S. national competition. To participate, students
must submit a video presentation of their invention, a prototype,
an inventor's logbook showing the journey of their invention
process, and a poster board highlighting key points of the
invention process.
Select finalists from U.S. Nationals will be invited to
compete virtually against Nationals finalists from Mexico in the Invention Convention Americas
2024 presented by RTX, with an awards ceremony taking place on
August 22, 2024.
Organizations interested in bringing the year-long program to
their region can get more information
at inventionconvention.org/contact.
About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The
Henry Ford is a globally recognized destination that fosters
inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts
representing the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on
innovation, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. Its unique venues
include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour,
Benson Ford Research Center, Giant Screen Experience and Henry Ford
Academy, a public charter high school. The Henry Ford inspires
every individual to unlock their potential and help shape a better
future through a variety of channels, including its online
presence thehenryford.org, its Emmy®-winning
national television series, The Henry Ford's Innovation
Nation, and The Henry Ford's Invention Convention Worldwide, a
global K-12 invention education curricular program that teaches
students problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and creativity skills.
With the support of a growing community of affiliates and
supporters, The Henry Ford is the home of RTX Invention Convention
U.S. Nationals, Invention Convention Americas, and Invention
Convention Michigan.
About RTX
RTX is a leading aerospace and defense company. Our global team of
180,000 employees pushes the limits of known science and redefines
how we connect and protect our world. We are advancing aviation,
building smarter defense systems, and creating innovations to take
us deeper into space. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
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SOURCE The Henry Ford