Owlkids

14 OWL September 2016 Alex Deans, 19 FROM: Windsor, Ontario GIG: Inventor of iAid and motivational speaker When Alex was 12, he helped a visually impaired woman cross the street. After talking with her about the lack of devices out there to help people like her, Alex decided to build one himself. Over the next four years, he researched, designed, and built the iAid, a device that allows visually impaired people to "see" around them and better get around by themselves. The iAid is similar to sonar, which allows a bat to see at night. Four ultrasonic sensors mounted on a belt scan and map a person's surroundings. OWL: What is the greatest challenge that you have faced? ALEX: I started working on the iAid at 12 years old. That made it extremely hard for me to earn credibility from the community of inventors and makers. To many of them, it was too big of an idea at a very young age. To me, that's what made my idea all the more powerful. I had quite a few setbacks when I was inventing. I saw all of these hurdles as stepping stones to get me to where I wanted to be. mounted on a belt scan and map a person's surroundings. Insider No one likes a bully, but stopping one is a whole other matter. After seeing just how painful cyberbullying could be, Trisha decided that she was going to try to make a change. She invented ReThink, an app that is designed to stop people from posting nasty online comments. Because of the app, Trisha has been invited to speak at universities and conferences around the world. OWL: What are your goals? TRISHA: I believe that regardless of my age, I have the power to effect change around me. My goal is to release ReThink in all international languages so that it becomes available to the millions of adolescents around the world. I am looking forward to the day when we have conquered cyberbullying. How Does ReThink work? When you try to post a mean message on social media, ReThink uses special ltering technology to gure out whether it's offensive and gives you a second chance to reconsider your decision. Research shows that when users are alerted to ''ReThink'' their decisions, 93% change their minds. Trisha Prabhu, 15 FROM: Naperville, Illinois GIG: Cyberbullying awareness a second chance to reconsider your decision. Research shows that when users are alerted to ''ReThink'' their decisions, 93% change their minds. Alex's invention, the iAid, is attached to his belt. FAVOURITE READS: Classics such as The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and Pride and Prejudice. My favourite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Alex's invention, the iAid, I'm really into the art of making portraits. Visual arts taught me not to take anything I see at face value. Sometimes you have to look at something sideways, upside down, or even from the wrong way round to truly understand it.

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