This Kid Invented A Device That Will Save The Lives Of Babies Left In Hot Cars

We all have moments of inspiration that lead us to unleash our inner Nikola Tesla to make the world an easier place to live.

Somewhere right now, for example, thanks to the Bridal Buddy, a bride is relieving herself without having to choose between a cadre of specially trained attendants or a skirt stained with piss. Gorging yourself on creative pastries got that much easier when the creator of the cronut unveiled his latest concoction, a 3D interlocking churro. And I recently discovered that Diet Coke is palatable if you add key lime juice, thus creating the Diet Coketail. But, none of these inventions will save lives. A new device created by Bishop Curry V, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Melissa Ridge Intermediate School in McKinney, Texas, will, however.

Though currently in the design stage, the boy’s invention — called The Oasis — will prevent the death of infants left in hot cars. At this stage, there’s a clay prototype and Curry has a provisional patent. The invention attaches to an infant’s car seat and detects whether or not a child has been left unattended in a car. If so, it begins blowing cool air on the child to prevent it from becoming overheated while parents and/or authorities rush to remove it from the car. The Oasis also alerts both the police and the parents by text to let them know the baby is in danger.

In an interview with his local NBC new affiliate, Curry explained he was inspired to solve the problem when he heard about a trapped infant in a minivan dying in a nearby town. “I knew exactly where the house was,” Curry’s father said. That’s when Curry, the big brother of a one-year old sister told Toyota, the company that employs his father, “I heard about babies dying in car seats and they could have grown up to be somebody important. It makes me pretty upset.”’

In order to move onto the manufacturing stage and get an official patent, the family has begun crowdfunding on GoFundMe. So far, Curry has raised nearly $4,500 of his $20,000 goal. With the help of backers, The Oasis could become a popular tool used by parents to save lives. This makes me feel a little less proud of the Coketail, but it’s really good.

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