A pair of AAPS seniors have advanced to the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals in June at the Henry Ford Museum. Kashvi Rai from Huron earned 2nd place and a Best in Region for her Vesticator invention and Skyline’s Elliott Scully claimed third place for his invention of the Automatic Pedestrian Crossing Detection.
The Vesticator is an indicator vest that allows children to signal their direction of travel while riding a bicycle. It consists of a remote that attaches to the bicycle’s handlebars and a vest with LED arrows on the front and back, worn by the cyclist. Rai’s invention has lights that are visible under more conditions, for example, in the dark and through clouds, and is easier to use. Additionally, the LEDs are placed at the front and rear, so other road users can see the turn signal regardless of the direction they are traveling.
Automatic Pedestrian Detection will detect when pedestrians, including elderly people and children, attempt to cross a crosswalk with flashing lights. It will automatically trigger these lights to prevent pedestrian fatalities and injuries. There are not many other systems for this task, they all focus on full intersections and are very expensive, none of these systems are fine-tuned for the crossing they are at where Scully’s solution would be, reducing false positives. Specifically, the focus on single indicated crosswalks would allow for a much cheaper, finer-grained solution than any other currently available. This lower price and reduced complexity would also allow for rapid, wide-scale deployment.
A total of 21 AAPS students participated in the Michigan Invention Convention state competition on Saturday, April 25th, at the Henry Ford Museum. These students advanced from the regional A2 Area Invention Convention at Skyline.
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