Published in the April 13, 2017 edition
Third grade students at the Batchelder School’s ExploraVision recognition ceremony last Thursday. Front Row, L-R: Evie Schomp, Ella Donovan, Alex Gamer, Cecilia Thompson, Sophia Difraia, Lexi Manzi, Tia Segel. Middle Row, L-R: Nyla Young, Reilly Tassinari, Quin Kelly, Grace Fagner, Gavin Brady, Kaila Brady, Ariana Ehrenthal. Back row – parent leaders, L-R: John Thomson, Margot Schomp, Christina Fagner, Sal Battinelli. (Courtesy Photo)
By Bill Laforme
NORTH READING – Students from the Batchelder School distinguished themselves in the recent Exploravision competition, where they created ideas for new inventions.
The contest is run by the National Science Teachers Association by the Toshiba Corporation, where students around the country research an existing technology and then try to envision some uses for it 20 years into the future.
Four teams of Batchelder students finished in the top 10 percent of all participants, earning honorable mention. A total of 33 students participated, primarily third graders, with a team of four fifth graders also joining them.
The creations envisioned by the four honorable mention teams were a “wellness watch” that could monitor health stats and injuries to determine if a hospital visit is necessary. Another team envisioned the “Pet Vet,” which is a GPS enabled collar to monitor pet vital signs, complete with cell phone alerts when a health problem comes up. The “AmaZwim” flotation device for children would include an electronic user interface to teach them how to swim. And finally, the KidsQBusScheduling invention would allow real-time communication between parents, bus drivers, and the bus company.
A total of nine teams participated in Exploravision this year. Other third grader entries include a “Wandering Aerial Smartphone” that would be physically mobile, “The World’s Best Bathing Suit,” which would fill up with air if a swimmer was at risk of drowning, a “Heart Helper” that would detect heart attacks as they start, administer medication, and contact emergency workers. Also, a “Water Wheelchair” with robotic arms would allow people in wheelchairs to go swimming, wash dishes and go out in the rain with an umbrella, and a START chip that would be placed under the skin to locate people and call for help when in danger.
The fifth grade team reportedly envisioned a diabetic alert band that could smell a diabetic’s blood sugar level and provide alerts for lows and highs – a children’s version of this invention would take the form of a “soft, cuddly robotic dog.”
