CONTEST CATEGORIES
Invention Categories
Once students figure out a cause that is important to them, they should find a specific problem within the category that they think they could solve by inventing! Please choose a category for your team to invent in & explore the examples to get some inspiration!
Note: Please use this list to start the conversation and inspire creativity for your own inventions, not copies of the ideas.
ANIMALS
(Recommended for elementary teams)
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Animal welfare & services
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Tunnels in railroads made for turtles to safely pass through
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An mobile application to diagnose your dog's rash (previous project)
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A way to track and detect homeless dogs in the neighborhood
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Wildlife conservation
- Artificial intelligence to detect deforestation
- Safer animal-tracking systems for research
ENVIRONMENT
(Recommended for all levels)
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Environmental protection and conservation
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Water bottle that filters water with just a shake (previous project)
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Shower that stops when you are wasting water
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Alternative & clean energy
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Solar phone charger built into beach umbrella (previous project)
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Recycling & sustainability
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A mobile application to learn how to recycle specific items (previous project)
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HEALTH
(Recommended for Middle & High School Teams)
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Diseases & disorders
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Heart valve that runs off of renewable energy (previous project)
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Inhaler that requires less force & precision to work (previous project)
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Cuffless blood pressure monitor & application (previous project)
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Patient and family support
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Portable IV Backpack for children hospitals (previous project)
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Treatment & prevention
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Inflatable brace for injured athletes on the field (previous project)
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Accessible healthcare options
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Bubblewrap limbs for amputees in 3rd world countries (previous project)
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EDUCATION
(Recommended for all levels)
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School Improvements
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Energy-generating bounce seats for classrooms (previous project)
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Noise detector that changes color when library gets too loud
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Efficient air filtering system for school buildings that doesn't need to be replaced often (previous project)
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Hyrbrid or Remote Learning
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An application to make digital learning at home easier
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See-through COVID masks to help deaf classmates communicate
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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
(Recommended for all levels)
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Improvements for your own neighborhood
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Mall parking system that allows people to choose spots based on their special needs ahead of time (previous project)
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Robot to serve lunches during COVID (previous project)
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Speed bumps to power street lamps in town (previous project)
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Natural Disaster Relief
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Solar powered rescue raft (previous project)
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Sustainable hurricane shelters (previous project)
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Agriculture and Food
(Recommended for middle and high school teams)
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Farming
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More energy efficient vertical farming, a more sustainable and affordable solution for worldwide food shortages (previous project)
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Smart tree-planting robot eliminating a need for labor and human monitoring (previous project)
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Bee drones, supplement pollination due to decreased bee population
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Food production
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Nano-packaging, smart-packaging detects food safety and spoiling
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Slot-drain, a more modern approach to trench drain in food processing factories to prevent standing water and bacterial growth
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MES, smart technology that traces and analyzes ingredients used in food processing plants to more rapidly detect contamination
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Entertainment
(Recommended for all levels)
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Music
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Bitcrusher, adds digital effects to the electric guitar through a small device that mounts onto the instrument
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Soundbeamer, beam music into your head without the need for headphones using a 3D sensing module and "sound pockets"
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EyeHarp, enables individuals with disabilities to make music using their gaze instead of their hands through a digital instrument
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Video gaming
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Controller grips, make gaming more comfortable
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VR technology, allows gamer to feel like they are inside of a game
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Film making
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Green screen technology, allows filmmakers to add digital backgrounds to
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3D Printing in stop motion animation & prop making, minimizing time and costs while increasing creative freedom
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Safety
(Recommended for all levels)
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Child safety
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Carbon-monoxide/temperature sensing car seat (previous project)
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GPS embedded shoes to prevent missing children (previous project)
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Fun, yet safe, helmets that make kids want to wear them
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Glowing pods to detect temperature changes in baby's room
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Transportation safety
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Crash detecting bike sensors (previous project)
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Solar-powered bike lanes to provide an illuminated path for cyclists
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Traffic sign recognition, to detect stop signs and speed limit changes and alert vehicle drivers
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Technology
(Recommended for all levels)
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Facial recognition softwares to keep your phone secure