Pranavh Vallabhaneni
Chadds Ford 9th grader Pranavh Vallabhaneni was honored recently for his ingenuity at the 5th annual Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, presented by Raytheon Technologies. He was among nearly 500 award-winning K-12 inventors from across the nation who were celebrated at a virtual awards ceremony held on July 2.
Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education curricular program mapped to national and state educational standards that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. More than 120,000 K-12 inventors from across the United States competed at local affiliate events for a chance to participate in the Invention Convention 2020 U.S. Nationals.
“My invention prevents hot car child deaths by detecting for a baby in a car seat and, if present, sends different types of automated alerts to parents and local authorities when the temperature measurements inside the car cross certain temperature thresholds,” he explains.
“The device has a multi-level alert system. When the temperature in the car crosses one of three temperature thresholds, a certain action will be performed by the device. When the temperature crosses the first temperature threshold, an alert will be sent to parents. These alerts could be a very useful way to remind parents about their child, especially in the current day and age where people are frequently checking their phones. When the temperature crosses the second temperature threshold, a buzzer will sound off, creating local awareness to people around the car. When the temperature crosses the third temperature threshold, an alert will be sent to local authorities, alerting them about the potentially fatal condition.”
Pranavh Vallabhaneni created a system to alert parents — and ultimately authorities if a child is left in a car that is too warm.
“Along with this, the GPS coordinates of where the baby is will also be sent to the local authorities to help trace the child quickly,” he added. “The temperature thresholds are easily configurable in the software and can be adjusted based on geographic location.”
“While many things have been disrupted due to the pandemic, innovation and invention continue and are needed now more than ever,” said Patricia Mooradian, president and CEO, The Henry Ford. “We need to move forward, to create, to problem-solve and with programs like Invention Convention, we are seeing our young people, our young innovators and inventors, lead the way.”
“Ingenuity and agility are being demonstrated by students around the world. Seeing this year’s convention ― and its participants ― shift their inventive spirit and excel in this virtual showcase is heartening,” said Randy Bumps, executive director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Raytheon Technologies. “We hope that our support of programs like Invention Convention will continue to encourage student problem-solving, next-generation innovations and a passion for lifelong learning.”
Prizes and opportunities this year include pro-bono patent awards from law firms including Wilmerhale, Cooley and Cantor Colburn, professional prototyping assistance from design firms like IDEAZ, and invention experiences with partners like Koch Industries, where students can visit with marketers, product designers, and engineers to help advance their inventions to the next stage.
The mission of Invention Convention Worldwide is to bring Invention Education to every student everywhere. Organizations interested in bringing the year-long program to their region can get more information at www.inventionconvention.org.
