Invent Your World Youth Ventures

Invent Your World 2009
Youth Ventures


“What can you invent to make life easier,
the planet greener and the world better?”
That was the key question posed by
the 2009 Invent Your World Challenge -
a partnership between Ashoka’s Youth
Venture and the Lemelson Foundation.
More than 300 youth from 30 countries
answered the call with their own
invention ideas. Fifty invention
ventures were launched.

CANADA
Dynamic FRANCE
Photovoltaics Edible Objects
USA Handibot
A Bioﬁlm Membrane
ACWa System
Algae Panels MEXICO
Autoponics Bioreactor
Chlorine Dispenser Drosogas NIGERIA SINGAPORE
Combination Deydrator Iluméxico Skywater Aerosoar
EATS Industrial Oil
Filters for Families Philippines
Recyclers
ARGENTINA From Agricultural
GHAMAS ABP Solar Pyramid
Aquaturbi KENYA Residue
Handitote ECUADOR AVANZA Chlorine Dispenser INDIA
Making Waste A BIOCALEFON VANUATU
Trici-X Eco-San Toilet Aegis
Resource PERU
Rainwater for Biodegradation Promoting Child-to- Bioclean Dungoro Climate
Child Safe Water Fan on Lamp Initiative
Humanity of CO2 Smart Charger IceCube India
Re-Green Electronics Eco-Cooling
Reeds, Halls & Optics Lift-Off Craft
Ecological Making Waste A Resource
Sustainable Treehouse Carousel
TruV Homemade Wax Rainwater for Humanity
VERSATILE System Tractor-Factor
Hydroponic Manjarpa Turn It Off
Green Fodder Water-Saving Pedal Urja

Ashoka Lemelson Awards
Excellence Award The VERSATILE System
$20,000 scholarship Javier Fernandez-Han, 15
Trip to global roundtable on Houston, TX, USA
climate change at MIT

Achievement Award AVANZA
$1,000 prize Pablo Alejandro Medrano, 23
Trip to global roundtable on Andrea Céspedes, 25
climate change at MIT Salta, Argentina
Dynamic Photovoltaics
Eden Full, 16
Calgary, AB, Canada

Handibot
Vincent Thiberville, 19
Champs sur Marne, France

Rainwater for Humanity
Carolyn Aker, 18
Providence, RI, USA

Invent Your World Judges

Nate Ball Anne Swift
Host Founder
PBS Design Squad Young Inventors International

Anil Chitrakar Eric Wilhelm
Founder
CEO
Environmental Camps
Instructables.com
for Conservation Awareness

“An invention that is narrowly
focused on solving a single
problem often inadvertently
creates more problems because
nature is highly complex and
interconnected.“

Javier Fernandez-Han
Age 15
Houston, TX, USA


1. The VERSATILE System
At the tender age of 9, Javier Fernandez-Han found
his calling: design for the other 90 percent - help
the world’s poor meet their basic needs sustainably.

Extensive research and design have led to an
innovative solution: The VERSATILE System - a
mashup of new and existing technology that treats
waste, produces methane and bio-oil as fuel,
produces food for humans and livestock,
Javier Fernandez-Han, 15 sequesters greenhouse gases, and produces
Houston, TX, USA oxygen.
Learn More
What drives this complete energy resource system?
Algae - the little organism that could. Gone are the
days when algae are viewed only as “pond scum.”

USA ALGAE FUEL SOLAR WASTE CLIMATE MAP

“Every 30 seconds, there is an
amputation due to diabetes,
which translates to more than
one million amputations a year.
The good news is that 85% of
these amputations can be
prevented.“
Pablo Alejandro Medrano
Age 23
Salta, Argentina


2. AVANZA
Pablo Alejandro Medrano has seen the impact of
“diabetic foot” ﬁrst hand. His own grandfather
suffered from diabetes, developed an infection on
his feet, and had to have both legs amputated.

This explains his passion for AVANZA, a venture
Pablo launched with Andrea Céspedes to make
disposable cellulose insoles for diabetics. They
Pablo Alejandro Medrano, 23 help users better oxygenate the feet, maintain
Jovita Andrea Céspedes, 25 better hygiene, and prevent infections that can lead
Salta, Argentina to amputation.

The insoles meet doctors’ recommendations for
feet care and are new to the Argentine market.

ARGENTINA HEALTH MAP

“What began as a simple personal
interest in solar energy turned
into something more meaningful
when I realized I could use my
passion for science to help
others improve energy
accessibility in
developing countries.“
Eden Full
Age 16
Calgary, AB, Canada


3. Dynamic Photovoltaics
Harvesting solar energy can be a costly
enterprise but Dynamic Photovoltaics is making
it more affordable - and efﬁcient - by developing
the ﬁrst cost-effective solar panel tracking
system capable of accurate movement.

That means the panels can follow the sun’s
movement throughout the day. More direct
exposure means better performance.
Eden Full, 16
Calgary, Canada Not only is the system easy to operate, it is also
made of commonly found affordable materials,
making it easy to maintain in developing
countries.

CANADA SOLAR MAP

“By giving handicapped people
access to artistic creation,
we are hoping to create a
feeling of liberation.“

Vincent Thiberville
Age 20


4. Handibot
Handibot’s mission is simple yet ambitious: create
robots that can help physically and mentally
challenged people express their creativity through
painting.

It started when a painter who acquired polyarthritis
asked Vincent Thiberville to create technology that
could help him paint despite his illness. Since then,
Vincent has developed seven prototypes to address
Vincent Thiberville, 19 different needs.
Watch Video
The latest modiﬁcation allows the used paint water
to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly
way.

france ASSIST ROBOTICS MAP

“As students in a country where
we can choose which type of
water to drink, we want to give
everyone access to what should
be a basic human right.“

Carolyn Aker
Age 18
Providence, RI, USA


5. Rainwater for Humanity
Rainwater for Humanity helps villagers of Kuttanad,
India harvest rain in order to conserve water,
empower women entrepreneurs, and boost
community health.

The team of Brown University students have
optimized the design of rainwater storage reservoirs
and catchment systems, ensuring that they are
simple, sustainable, and eco-friendly.

Using locally available materials, they construct
cisterns with 265 ft3 capacity and built-in
puriﬁcation systems to capture rain from existing
Carolyn Aker rooftops. Each structure will provide a family with a
Andrea Krukowski year’s worth of clean water, eliminating disease as
Providence, RI, USA well as save them the four hours a day that would
otherwise be spent gathering water.

usa INDIA water MAP

LEME41

A Biofilm Membrane
Biofilm Membrane project aims to provide a
cost-effective solution to water contaminated by
oil using biofilm membranes. By creating a
filtration system that can be used in developing
countries, the Biofilm Membrane project is an
environmentally sound and inexpensive
approach to provide individuals in regions with
oil spills with clean water.

It started when Tiara Marshall began
researching water quality and oil contamination
two years ago. Tiara’s passion to make positive
Tiara Marshall, 17 changes in the field of environmental science
Brentwood, NY, USA motivated her to start Biofilm Membrane. She
plans to continue her work as she enters college
focusing on environmental science.

USA pollution WATER MAP

WATE12

ACWa System
ACWa System seeks to provide affordable clean
drinking water to the world’s poor by harnessing
geothermal and solar energy to produce clean
water from hot, humid air through condensation.

ACWa’s uses a two-pipe system, one within the
other. Its engine is a roof-mounted metal vent
which gets really hot, causing air to rise and
drawing replacement cool air into the small pipe,
Javier Fernandez-Han, 15
which in turn helps condense humid air in outer
Houston, TX, USA
pipe.

In three years time, Javier Fernandez-Han and his
team will have three functioning ACWa Systems
serving communities in developing countries.

USA water geothermal solar MAP

LEME161

Aegis
Rupesh lives in one of the most polluted regions of
India. Many people, particularly women and small
children, are prone to the harmful effects of air
pollution caused by industry. Rupesh determined to
combat the effects of toxins and pollutants entering
the environment. In 2009, he teamed up with
Santosh and Venkatesh to launch Aegis.

With the help of the Indian Institute of Chemical
Technology, the team will develop a device that
releases green catalysts, chemical compositions
Rupesh Manne, 20 that effectively neutralize airborne toxins. In the
Hyderabad, India short-term, the team will sustain itself by selling
pollutant-absorbing plants. In the longer term, the
team hopes to manufacture and sell products that
improve air quality at the household level.

INDIA POLLUTION MAP

LEME14

Aerosoar
Aerosoar - made up of a team of young engineering
students in Singapore - is developing a windmill
that is affordable and environmentally friendly for
people living in poverty.

It will be portable in the sense that i tcan be taken
down to be relocated.
Chew Yee Ng, 20
Singapore Led by Chew Yee Ng the team will focus on
developing the portable windmill along with a
complementary awareness campaign on
renewable energy and environmental
conservation.

singapore energy wind MAP

LEME21

Algae Panels
The Merrimack Biodiesel Crew is working to
lowering truck emissions on our national
highways by developing durable algae panels
that could be attached to the top of trucks.
Panels will be connected to the exhaust system
so that emissions would pass through the algae
panels before entering the atmosphere.
Erica Lawson, 17
Merrimack, USA
The project is being led by Erica Lawson who
came up with idea after attending the 2007
Biodiesel Conference. There she met venture
capitalists who shared their interested in using
algae as feedstock for biodiesel.

USA ALGAE FUEL pollution MAP


Aquaturbi
This project is being implemented in remote
indigenous Mapuche communities in the
southeast Neuquén province in Patagonia,
Argentina, where many of the inhabitants live
without modern conveniences such as
electricity. The inhabitants in these areas live off
the land raising animals, such as sheep and
Carlos Llaytuqueo, 16 cattle, and could greatly beneﬁt from electricity,
Junin de los Andes, Argentina which would provide refrigeration for their
products. By harnessing a local resource,
running water, this project will provide electricity
to families for the ﬁrst time through their
innovative hydraulic turbine design,
incorporating wheels from local carts and iron.
ARGENTINA WATER ENERGY MAP

Invent Your World 2009 LEME158

Autoponics
Autoponics was launched in 2009 by Alessandro,
Eric, Adam, and Ned to further explore the potential
of hydroponics, the process of growing plants in
enriched water instead of dirt. Despite the name,
Hydroponics operations use 90% less water than
soil farming. Even though hydroponics has been
used commercially, high-costs of building facilities
have prevented this technology from becoming
more widespread. Autoponics proposes to explore
Alessandro Banducci, 14 ways to make this technology less costly and more
Shoreline, WA, USA efﬁcient. The team will develop a small, automated
hydroponic greenhouse that will produce food on a
regular basis. The team’s innovation is a motorized
mechanism that will rotate seeds and plants to
optimize exposure to sunlight and enriched water.

USA AGRICULTURE WATER MAP


BIOCALEFON
BIOCALEFON derives its name from the
adapted use of two primary technologies: a bio-
digester and a Calefon (hot water heater in
English). The bio-digester is designed to
produce energy from locally available organic
resources, such as manure. This innovation is
speciﬁcally designed for people living in
impoverished areas, including the indigenous
area of Páramos (where the pilot will take
place), much of which lacks running water and
electricity.

It will provide inhabitants with access to hot
water, improve health conditions (cleaning,
Santiago Pionce, 23 washing, and hygiene) and reduce
Riobamba, Ecuador environmental damage caused by the cutting of
forests for ﬁrewood.

ECUADOR ENERGY WATER MAP

MTVE133

Bioclean
When Amandeep went to visit his aunt in his
village in northern India, he would watch as she
cooked using bio-gas, a slow process. After some
research, Amandeep discovered that bio-gas
cooking is time consuming because of the high
carbon dioxide content. He also discovered that
calcium oxide can neutralize the carbon dioxide to
form calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate in
turn can be used to neutralize the effects of acid
rain. Having established the chemical process,
Amandeep is now focused on building a CaO
tower, a tank of solid Calcium Oxide that
neutralizes pollution-causing CO2 to form
Amandeep Verma, 23 CaCO3, producing two important end products - a
Kochi, India bio-fuel that burns cleaner and faster and a
compound .

INDIA BIOFUEL ENERGY MAP


Biodegradation of CO2
Biodegradation of CO2 is a project which aims
to reduce environmental contamination using
micro-organisms (predatory bacteria of carbon
monoxide). This project includes the
construction of a bioreactor prototype capable
of recovering the contaminated air from
automobile exhaust and factories/
manufacturers and converts the air into pure air.

Martin Vasquez Nunez, 16 This bioreactor prototype will serve to purify
Lima, Peru contaminated air as well as for purpose of
technological demonstration and training of the
students in my community about how to
combat environmental contamination/pollution
using our own technology at a low cost.
PERU pollution MAP


Bioreactor
This project is developing a prototype for a
bioreactor to separate organic waste, from
liquids and other waste products, which can
then be used in the production of organic
fertilizers that can be used on various plants
and crops. Apart from producing an
environmentally sustainable fertilizer the
bioreactor will also reduce and/or separate
pollutants and toxins that can have harmful
effects on the community’s health.
The team plans education and training activities
Juana Cortes, 23 as well as the promotion and use of their
Chetumal, Mexico bioreactor to change the way people think
about and treat trash in their corner of Mexico.

MEXICO AGRICULTURE POLLUTION MAP

WATE29

Chlorine Dispenser
MIT students Tylor Hess and Rebecca Smith
designed a point-of-collection chlorine
dispenser to prevent diareheal diseases in rural
western Kenya.

Their design is similar to many modern water ﬁlters
found in the U.S. but relies on materials available in
Tylor Hess, 21 almost any village in Kenya. They have already
Rebecca Smith visited the sites where they wish to implement the
Boston, MA, USA dispenser.

Over the next three years, they will continue to
improve the dispenser’s design and disseminate
the technology throughout Kenya.

USA KENYA WATER MAP

Invent Your World 2009 LEME48

Combination Dehydrator/
Decondenser
The WHS InvenTeam is currently working to
develop a combination dehydrator/decondenser
for farmers in developing countries so that they
can dry their produce before it spoils, thereby
preserving produce that is no longer viable for
sale. In doing so, farmers can store the dried
produce during the off-season.
Andrew Barth, 17
Fayettville, GA, USA Led by Andrew Barth, the team is currently
investigating the possibility of harvesting
extracted water from the dehydrator to obtain
potable water.
usa AGRICULTURE water MAP


Drosogas
Drosogas is addressing the global problem of
dependence on fossil fuels by developing a
functioning and easy to use biogas digester that
uses Drosophila melanogaster larvae and
organic waste to produce clean energy.

By using organic waste from fruits and
vegetable, they hope to provide an alternative
David Guerrero Zárate energy source that is available to a larger
Villahermosa, Mexico segment of the population while also improving
the environment and health conditions.

MEXICO BIOFUEL ENERGY MAP

MTVE52

Dungoro Climate Initiative
The Dungoro Climate Initiative is building the
ﬁrst composting toilet ever built on the island of
Vanuatu. Up until now, the island nation used pit
toilets however these toilets often leaked into
the drinking wells. Villagers have been forced to
dig more wells farther in to the forest, which
means cutting down more and more trees.

Joe Marias and his team reviewed compost
toilet designs and adapted them to meet the
needs of locale. The team is using readily
Joseph Marias, 19 available local materials to ensure lower
Port Vila, Vanuatu construction cost and easier maintenance.

Once they complete construction of their ﬁrst
toilet, the team plans to travel to neighboring
islands to help implement construction of their
composting toilet throughout the region.
VANUATU WASTE water CLIMATE MAP

??????

EATS
Easy Access Transport System (EATS) produces an
assistive technology device that will allow
wheelchair users to comfortably access items
stored behind their chairs. The team has already
constructed their ﬁrst prototype, a device strong
enough to shoulder the full weight of a 25 pound
backpack. Next, the team plans to build a motorized
prototype.

The next few years will see the team reﬁne their
designs to make EATS both cheap and easy to use.
Andrew BRAREN, 16 In the future, they will mass produce the technology
Wethersfield, CT, USA for - potentially - 200 million wheelchair users
around the world.

usa ASSIST MAP


Eco-Cooling
We designed a “homemade” refrigerator
constructed from local materials that were easy
to obtain at a very low cost. Thanks to our
design it is posible to preserve cold foods
without the need of electricity and this
refrigerator can be used anywhere!
We will implement ﬁve of these refrigerators in
our school in-order to validate the effectiveness
of our eco-cooling invention.

Javier Cuya Ramirez, 16 This product which we have developed has the
Lima, Peru potential to help 70,000 people who do not
have access to electricity in our district.

PERU ENERGY MAP

Invent Your World 2009 MTVE51

Eco-San Toilet
The Eco-San Toilet team uses local materials to
construct composting toilets throughout their
community. The toilet uses the principle of
anaerobic respiration where decomposition is
carried out without moisture. The result is an
organic fertilizer that can be used on local
farms.

The project started when team leader Moses
Odhiambo was working as a volunteer in his
town. He noticed the spread of water-born
disease in his community due to poor sanitation
Moses Odhiambo, 24
and began to think of how to help solve the
Kisumu, Kenya
problem.

KENYA WATER waste AGRICULTURE MAP


Ecological Carousel
Our project consists of implementing a human-
powered carousel that can convert plastic
bottles into small particles that can then be
melted down and used as the primary resource
in the production of recycled plastic objects.

Alejandro Diaz, 16 We plan to sell these small plastic particles to
Jimena de los Heros, 10 recycling plants and then we will receive proﬁts
Lima, Peru to re-invest in our project. We have designed a
carousel that is connected to a plastic machine
(grinder). These grinding machines normally
function with an electric motor, but in our case
we will take advantage of the playful energy of
children.
PERU waste MAP

MTVF20

Edible Objects
Edible Objects is a venture that seeks to address
environmental issues like waste and use of energy
by designing objects that allow us to change the
way in which we eat. Putting to good use their
design studies, Ronan and the team are creating
objects and utensils for eating that can themselves
be consumed.

Like the ice cream cone, the objects created by this
venture will not produce waste or require energy to
Ronan Le Vacon, 18 be disposed of once the foods they hold or are used
Ines Le Bihan, 19 to eat have disappeared. A range of everyday eating
Le Foeil, France utensils that are fun to use and can be broken down
by the act of eating itself will help to reduce waste
and pollution … in a pleasurable way.

FRANCE WASTE MAP


Fan on Lamp
Today more than 1.6 billion people are deprived
of electricity and most use kerosene lamps to
light up their homes. However these lamps are
not very efﬁcient, wasting upwards of 95% of
the energy they use in the form of heat. In
Chennai, India, Vaibhav Barnwal and Swapnil
Jain came up with a solution.

They combined the kerosene lamp, sterling
engine technology, and a normal table fan to
come up with FAMP. This is a device that
produces light through the kerosene lamp, and
uses the heat energy to power a fan that makes
Vaibhav Barnwal living conditions more pleasant. Even though
Swapnil Jain they’ve already produced a working prototype,
Chennai, India the team hopes to perfect this design and make
it affordable to all people in rural India.
India energy MAP

LEME33

Filters for Families Abroad
The mission of Filters for Families Abroad is to
help families in developing countries have
access to clean drinking water. After testing and
comparing different filter designs, Annie
Bartholomew created her own design,
combining the strongest aspects of the various
designs.

The filters are made with cheesecloth, sand,
gravel, and mesh filters – components that are
relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain locally
in developing countries, making them easy-to-
Annie Bartholomew, 15 use and relatively inexpensive to make and
Palos Verdes, CA, USA maintain.

usa water MAP

MTVE109

From Agricultural Residue to
Cement Bonded Blocks
The Agricultural Residue to Cement Bounded
Blocks team is using local materials, in
particular palm frond, to create sustainable
blocks for building and construction.

Mark came up with idea after witnessing how
much palm frond was being burned because it
was seen as an agricultural waste. Mark and his
team are educating others in how to create
Mark Gervasa, 24 palm blocks so that they can build cheaper
Tacurong, Philippines housing in low-income areas.

philippines
agriculture waste pollution MAP

MTVE185

GHAMAS Algal Biodiesel
Project (ABP)
The Algal Biodiesel Project aims to find a clean
and commercially viable method for creating
biodiesel fuel from algae. Unlike gasoline,
petrodiesel, and traditional alternative fuels like
ethanol, which are expensive and harmful to the
environment, biodiesel has the potential to be
both environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Through their research, the team is refining its
John Snyder, 17 processes of algae cultivation, oil extraction,
Hartford, CT, USA diesel conversion and even building its own
photobioreactor in order to develop an energy
and cost efficient process.

usa algae biofuel energy water MAP

MTVE185

Handitote
Seeing that wheelchair users sometimes had to rely
on store clerks to get their wallets for them, Charles
Sherburne came up with an idea.

He invented Handitote, a ferris-wheel type tote on
the side of the chair that allows users to store
various belongings, including glasses, checkbooks,
Charles Sherburne
wallets, and makeup.
Norfolk, VA, USA
It has an electric arm that rotates the tote to make
all compartments easily accessible.

Charles and his classmates hope to spread this
invention to various communities in the Norfolk
area.

usa ASSIST MAP


Homemade Wax
Floor wax, one of the most commonly used
home care products, usually contains harmful
chemicals such as cresol, formaldehyde,
nitrobenzene, etc.

This venture aims to produce low cost and eco-
friendly wax made of locally-sourced natural
ingreidents, including animal fat and natural
pigments from plants. The wax will be anti-
allergic and easy to produce.

The team will make enough wax for their school
Sharina Lavado, 15 and then launch a small business to sell it to
Lima, Peru their community. In the process, the venture
can also transfer business management skills to
students through trainings and workshops.

PERU MAP


Hydroponic Green Fodder
Our venture cultivates grains (cereals and
legumes) in indoor environments that are
controlled for light, temperature and humidity.
Our technique of cultivation is based on using
substrates other than soil and we will be using a
modern system of trays and irrigation mounted
onto a stable structure.

We will do this in greenhouses which permit the
production and growth of plants even in dry
seasons or other adverse climate conditions.

Lesly Moreno Gonzales, 15 The main objective of our project is to produce
Lima, Peru a small education (school) farm that will produce
good quality food at a low cost for the students
of our school.

PERU agriculture MAP

??????

IceCube India
When visiting his hometown in rural India, Hemant
Sahal was struck by the number of people suffering
from heavy metal poisoning. The source of this
harmful waste is small-scale industry, which lacks
the knowledge and resources to prevent the release
of harmful by-products into local water supply.
Hemant Sahal, 20
Gurgaon, India To address this problem, Hemant teamed up with
classmates in 2009 to launch CALLMAT. The team
has envisioned a technology that will use
immobilized calixarenes to remove toxic metal ions
and pollutants from water. Easily suspended in
collection tanks of water requiring treatment,
CALLMAT will prove a cost-effective way to
increase the supply of clean water to households
and farmers.

INDIA POLLUTION WATER ENERGY MAP


Iluméxico
Manuel Wiechers launched Iluméxico to
manafucature and distribute a cost-effective and
efﬁcient lighting system based on solar technology.
It consists of a photovoltaic panel, a charge
controller, a battery and an LED lamp.

Iluméxico will target families that currently use
kerosene, gasoline, candles and other
contaminating and dangerous sources, which
generally eat up 25% of the familyʼs income.

To pay for the system (US$77), families can opt into
Manuel Wiechers, 22 a micro-ﬁnance scheme where the monthly
Mexico payments do not exceed the costs of existing
systems they are using.

MEXICO SOLAR ENERGY MAP


Industrial Oil Recyclers
A group of 5 youth in Mexico realized a big problem
in the country is the pollution created by small
garages that discard used oil in the drainage without
any treatment. In response, they developed a small
device to process and separate waste from used oil.

This invention will allow businesses which donʼt
usually have sufﬁcient resources to access
affordable processors and reduce water pollution.
Gustavo Salazar Resendiz, 17
Mexico The venture also offers a service to collect used oil
and process it in a properly way.

MEXICO POLLUTION WATER MAP


Lift-Off Craft
In all parts of India factories force laborers to lift,
carry, and transport 70 kgs (154 lbs) of cement
on a frequent basis.

Piyush Kant Verma and some of his classmates
started thinking of a way to make the lives of
these laborers easier. They knew that these
laborers usually used bicycles to transport
cement, so they decided to invent an apparatus
to lift, secure, and lower the load from the
ground the bicycle.

This apparatus consists of a hydraulic
pneumatic system that lifts a platform and
Watch Video
secures it on the bicycle. It can be installed on
Piyush Kant Verma
most labor bicycles which are more structurally
Vellore, India
sound than average, everyday ones.

India assist MAP

WATE28

Making Waste A Resource
The main goal of Making Waste a Resource is to
construct urine-separating, dry composting
toilet in an urban slum in Mumbai, India. In
doing so, the team will help the local population
convert organic waste into a renewable
resource in the form of fertilizer. Furthermore,
the toilet will prevent open defecation, which is
a public health hazard.

Working with local NGOs on the ground,
Jasmine Wang and her team of fellow Berkeley
students will also initiate education programs
designed to inform the local population of the
health beneﬁts of using the composting toilet.
Jasmine Wang, 18 The team will communicate with farmers to
Berkeley, CA, USA coordinate the sale of the fertilizer. The income
generated would then go back into the
maintenance of the toilet and the creation of
new toilets.
INDIA usa
WASTE POLLUTION WATER ENERGY MAP


Manjarpa
Our venture creates “Manjarpa” and “Andean
Cereals” - two new foods designed to deliver
sufﬁcient protein to two vulnerable groups: children
and elderly.

Both products are made with potatoes and milk (or
soy milk) to deliver key nutrients to all types of
consumers - diabetics, lactose intolerant and
elderly who can’t chew.

They will be used in a pilot nutrition project at our
Ricardo Cubbin Garcia, 13 school to address malnutrition amongst our
Lima, Peru students.

PERU health MAP

WATE21

Promoting Child-to-Child
Safe Water
Most of the major ailments affecting children in
Kenyan villages are water-borne and hygiene-
oriented.

Promoting Child-to-Child Safe Water System
and Hygiene was launched in 2009 by Emily,
Juliana, and Nicholas to increase their supply of
clean drinking water and educate on hygiene.

Speciﬁcally, the team plans to equip 400
Juliana Omondi, 22 households with solar water pasteurization
Ugunja, Kenya systems (consisting of used water bottles, black
polyethene, and other locally available material),
hand washing stands, and liquid soap
dispensers.
Kenya health WATER MAP

LEME180

Re-Green Electronics
Re-Green Electronics uses joule thief circuitry to
“steal” small but measurable amounts of energy
from so-called “dead batteries” to power a
variety of everyday appliances.

Benjamin Lampert and his team are currently
Benjamin Lampert, 18
creating several prototype lamps that will use this
Salem, OR, USA
recycled energy from dead batteries. Their goal is
to provide such lamps to impoverished areas
where longevity and cost are important factors.

usa ENERGY MAP

LEME170

Reeds, Halls and Optics
Andrew believes electric motor technologies can
help avert the climate crisis and power human
industry. For the past three years, he has been
researching ways to increase their efﬁciency and
performance, all the while looking for ways to
simplify design and keep costs down. In 2009, he
teamed up with his brother Alex to launch Reeds,
Halls, and Optics to take this research to the next
level. Based in Mississippi, the team will construct,
test, and modify designs for a ﬂeet of 11 electric
motor prototypes.

In the future, the team will look to scale up their
Andrew Amis, 17 prototypes, making them proportionally larger and
Alex Amis more powerful. Produced on a mass scale, these
Clinton, MS, USA improved electric motors could power cars and other
fossil-fuel- dependent machines at a much lower
cost to our planet.
usa energy MAP

LEME56

Skywater
Millions of people in Africa lack access to clean
drinking water. Many turn to sources that are unsafe
for consumption and end up contracting water-borne
illnesses. To address this, Michael, Joseph, Ernest,
Christy, and Utaan launched Skywater in 2009.

The team will adapt the Skywater Machine, an
existing technology that condenses water stored in
the atmosphere into its liquid form. Specifically, an
additional condensing unit will increase its water-
producing capacity two-fold, to more than 2000
liters per day. 5 to 10 taps will transport water from
the machine to strategic locations in the community.

The team will use its seed funding to build the
Michael Alumku, 21 technology and purchase items needed for an HIV/
Makurdi, Nigeria sanitation awareness campaign. To sustain itself,
Skywater will seek funding from the Youth Ministry
of the State Government and other philanthropists.

Nigeria water MAP


Smart Charger
Good communication is essential for trade but in
rural Kenya, electricity can be scarce and thus
electrical devices cannot be used. Pascal
Katana, set out to alleviate this problem by
developing a gadget that makes use of the
energy generated by bicycles in order to charge
mobile phones and small rechargeable batteries
that can power radios.

He is currently in the design phase and is
producing the ﬁrst prototype to be tested in the
Pascal Katana, 22 university that he is attending. In April 2010
Nairobi, Kenya Pascal hopes to implement his invention into 5
urban villages to get feedback from the users.

KENYA ENERGY MAP


Solar Pyramid
This project is combining different models and
technologies, while using local resources to
provide a practical and cost effective solar heater
for rural communities. Solar Pyramid is starting
as a pilot for 100 families in the community of
Nopaltepec and will have a direct and positive
impact on the environment. The use of the solar
heaters will reduce the dependence on gas,
which is costly and can have damaging health
effects, and ﬁrewood, which is contributing to
deforestation and is a labor intensive activity.

Geovanni Roblero Adorno, 15 The project is also providing education to
Mexico City, Mexico community members on the technology as well
as the environmental beneﬁts of implementing
their solar heaters.
MEXICO SOLAR ENERGY MAP

MTVE81

Sustainable Treehouse
Emily Nunez is building a “sustainable treehouse” on
the Middlebury College campus that srves the dual
purposes of an outdoor classroom and a place
where elementary school students can learn about
environmental stewardship.

Emily Nunez, 19 The design incoroprates passive solar heating,
Middlebury, VT, USA rainwater catchment, ceiling fans instead of air
conditioning, reused timber, and a corn burning
stove for gas heat, in addition to other eco-friendly
features.
usa SOLAR water MAP

MTVE134

Tractor-Factor
Tractor-Factor designed a circuit to tap into the
battery of a tractor to power one compact
Shailesh Upadhyay, 23 ﬂuorescent light at night.
Ujala Shanker, 24
Vellore, India Shailesh and Ujala came up with the idea after
Shailesh found it difﬁcult to study for school at
night in his village because of frequent power
Watch Video
cuts and the pollution from toxic lanterns that
were being used as an alternative light source.

The team has implemented their project in 17
homes in the village and plan to expand their
reach throughout the rest of the village.

iNDIA health ENERGY pollution MAP


Trici-X
This venture was inspired by a physically
disabled child, named Matías, who wanted a
tricycle. After meeting Matías a group of
students went to work in their school working
on designs that would help him and other
children with physical disabilities achieve their
dreams of riding and owning a tricycle. The
team focused on different designs to make the
tricycle safer and found ways to reduce
inhibiting costs, by using various local materials,
Ferreyra Facundo Imanol, 16 to make the Trici-x more affordable and
Buenos Aires, Argentina accessible to families that have disabled
children.

The team is working tenaciously to harness
more local resources and materials to reduce
the costs even further.
ARGENTINA ASSIST MAP

LEME07

TruV
When Florida teen, Cody Smith, was told he
couldnʼt get a driverʼs license because of his visual
impairment, he hoped he could turn to technology
for help. But months of research yielded nothing
that could help legally blind people like himself see
distant objects easily and comfortably.

For a while, he became “angry at the system.” But
not for long. When a video camera was given to
him for Christmas, gears in his mind started to turn
and the idea for TruV was born.

TruV combines existing technologies to make a new
low-vision aid for people who are visually impaired
Cody Smith, 17
to legally blind. TruV makes “video glasses” using a
Palm Bay, FL, USA
camera with zooming capabilities.

USA ASSIST MAP

“I’ve been building stuff since I
was able to walk. Since then I’ve
been to robotics competitions
around the country and placed
high in a few. Now it’s time to
enter the real world and solve
some of the issues we face.”

Cody Smith
Age 17
Palm Bay, FL, USA

MTVE60

Turn It Off
Turn It Off aims to develop a power saving
gadget that will enable the user to turn off
appliances in a room automatically when no one
is present in the room. The team is particularly
focusing their work to meet the needs of large
organizations such as universities and hotels
that consume and waste signiﬁcant amounts of
energy.

Sagar and his team came up with the idea while
in school at Gitam University n India. They were
Sagar Naupada, 19 tired of seeing the lights in their university
Visakhapatnam, India classrooms being left on when no one was
using the classrooms and decided to do
something about it.
india CLIMATE energy MAP

LEME149

Urja
Launched in 2009 by Pankaj, Shrey, and
Chidambaram to increase the supply of clean,
affordable source of electricity in India, Urja will
develop a low-cost small solar electric generating
system. This technology will use heat drawn in from
solar collectors to generate and store thermal
power. At an estimated cost of just 30,000 rupees
(roughly 630 USD), the system has the potential to
power homes, households, and small-scale
industry.

In the future, the team hopes to build Urja into a
Pankaj Pansari, succesful business venture, one-day emerging as a
Kolkata, India leader in the production of alternative energy.

india solar energy MAP


Water-Saving Pedal
Our Project “Water-Saving Pedal” is a device
that controls the flow of water from the faucet of
a conventional sink using one’s feet. The
advantage of using ones’ feet in order to control
the flow of water compared with the standard
valve system turned on and off by hand is a
consumption savings of 70%! Our device is
housed in a rectangular structure that is
arranged below the sink and connected to a
system of tubes which supply water to the
faucet. When a user needs to use the sink (for
Diana Atencia Rios, 24 example to wash their hands), they only need to
Lima, Peru step on the pedal located below the sink to start
the flow of water on their free hands. This
generates an important water saving process.
PERU water MAP

Issue Tags 1 Invent Your World 2009
AGRICULTURE (6) CLIMATE (3) FUEL (2)
Autoponics Dungoro Climate Initiative The VERSATILE System
Bioreactor Turn It Off Algae Panels
Combination Dehydrator/ The VERSATILE System
Decondenser GEOTHERMAL (1)
Eco-San Toilet ENERGY (19) ACWa System
From Agricultural Residue to Cement Aerosoar
Bonded Blocks Aquaturbi HEALTH (4)
Hydroponic Green Fodder BIOCALEFON AVANZA
Bioclean Manjarpa
ALGAE (3) Drosogas Promoting Child-to-Child Safe Water
Algae Panels Dynamic Photovoltaics Tractor-Factor
GHAMAS Algae Biodiesel Project Eco-Cooling
The VERSATILE System Fan on Lamp POLLUTION (10)
GHAMAS Algae Biodiesel Project A Bioﬁlm Membrane
ASSIST (6) IceCube India Aegis
EATS Iluméxico Algae Panels
Handibot Making Waste A Resource Biodegradation of CO2
Handitote Re-Green Electronics Bioreactor
Lift-Off Craft Reeds, Halls and Optics From Agricultural Residue to
Trici-X Smart Charger Cement Bonded Blocks
TruV Solar Pyramid IceCube India
Tractor-Factor Industrial Oil Recyclers
BIOFUEL (3) Turn It Off Making Waste A Resource
Bioclean Urja Tractor-Factor
Drosogas
GHAMAS Algae Biodiesel Project ROBOTICS (1)
Handibot

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Issue Tags 2 Invent Your World 2009

SOLAR (7) WATER (19)
ACWa System A Bioﬁlm Membrane
Dynamic Photovoltaics ACWa System
Iluméxico Aquaturbi
Solar Pyramid Autoponics
Sustainable Treehouse BIOCALEFON
Urja Chlorine Dispenser
The VERSATILE System Combination Dehydrator/Decondenser
Dungoro Climate Initiative
WASTE (8) Eco-San Toilet
Dungoro Climate Initiative Filters for Families Abroad
Eco-San Toilet GHAMAS Algae Biodiesel Project
Ecological Carousel IceCube India
Edible Objects Industrial Oil Recyclers
From Agricultural Residue to Making Waste A Resource
Cement Bonded Blocks Promoting Child-to-Child Safe Water
Making Waste A Resource Rainwater for Humanity
The VERSATILE System Skywater
Sustainable Treehouse
Water-Saving Pedal

WIND (1)
Aerosoar

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