Posted on 02/09/2017 1:24:06 PM PST by nickcarraway
Thirty-nine children died of heat stroke in hot car incidents last year, according to a researcher
The number of children who overheated and died inside cars increased across the country last year, and Texas had the highest number of cases.
Now a 10-year-old boy from McKinney has invented what he hopes is a life-saving tool that every parent could use.
Bishop Curry V says he was inspired to create a device he calls "Oasis" after a baby died in a hot minivan last summer outside a home in Melissa.
The home is near the Curry family's home in McKinney.
Curry is a fifth grader at Melissa Ridge Intermediate and his father says they drive by the home every day on their way to school.
"I knew exactly where the house was," said Bishop Curry IV.
The tragedy hit close to home for the Curry family because they have a 1-year-old girl of their own.
"Sometimes babies fall asleep and they're really quiet, so if you're rushing home from work or you're rushing to the grocery store, I could see how somebody could forget," said Curry IV, who is an engineer for Toyota in Plano.
Thirty-nine children died of heat stroke in hot car incidents last year, seven in Texas, according to a San Jose State University meteorologist who tracks the data.
Curry V's device is currently in the design phase. It would attach to a car seat, detect if a child is left inside the vehicle and then blow cool air until parents and authorities are notified.
"It would be a dream to have lots of inventions that would save many lives," Curry V said.
The fifth grader already has a provisional patent on the "Oasis," and Toyota has already taken notice of the invention.
The Currys recently traveled to Michigan to introduce the idea at an auto safety conference.
The family is also raising money on a GoFundMe page to cover costs to develop a product.
A better idea might be carbon dioxide detector and alarm that goes off if car has not moved for 5 minutes.
A brain?
How about a solar-powered vent fan with a thermostat?
I’ve seen aftermarket ones, but as a stock item, it would be fantastic not only for this reason, but to cool down hot cars in the summer, in general.
This is solving a symptom (poorly) rather than the problem.
What you need is a device that would create an audible alert if you turn off the car and lock the door and the car seat is still connected.
It would be simple to design and build.
I believe the incidents of children left in cars went up after the government passed a law requiring kids to be in the back seat.
That law was needed because the government passed a law requiring automatic activation of air bags when there was a passenger in the seat. (now they have ways to turn those off, and it is safe to have your kids in the front seat if you deactivate the air bag)
“A better idea might be carbon dioxide detector and alarm that goes off if car has not moved for 5 minutes.”
You’ve clearly never made out in the back of a car as a teenager.
Not every parent can use one.
Oh, great. Is this a gadget that people will use so that they can leaves the kids in the car and not worry about it? Then if it fails, they can sue and collect from the manufacturer?
They could also use the car’s A/C and seat occupancy sensors for the same purpose.
One of the unintended consequences of placing car seats in the back. Though I’m darned if I can understand how a parent can remember his/her purse/bags/wallet/keys while forgetting the child.
“How about a solar-powered vent fan with a thermostat?”
Pretty sure I bought that 45+ years ago from a Johnson Smith oddball things catalog...
Yes, and it will be mandated by the Fed Gov to be installed (at your expense) in every car sold.
Kind of like contraception for nuns.
What a great story! That made my day.
Take a look at the newsclip. You’ll see 10 y/o Bishop Curry playing with his homebuilt catapult. Bishop later shows the lifesaving device he designed. The fact that this young black kid comes from a close, and intact family unit matters. He was thinking about his 1 year old sister being accidentally left in the car when he put this together.
His father looks like a calmed down Cuba Gooding.
If Bishop Jr. does nothing else newsworthy in his life, he will still have made a big difference in child safety.
His family will probably be able to get big bucks for the invention. They can help him to save most of it in a conserved bank account.
Good for this kid.
Or a chimney standing up from the roof of the car.No moving parts, just natural convention.
Now if you can solve the drag it creates while in motion . . . maybe by having it tilt backward due to the drag.
My parents’ generation left kids unattended in cars for hours at a time without death. Not infants, of course, but kids of five and upwards. I have many memories of sitting in the back seat with a puzzle, book or coloring book while Mom went shopping. Of course, we didn’t have seat belts either.
I give a 10 year old props for attempting something like this. We used to be a nation of tinkerers (perhaps we still are?) and this kid beats Clock Boy by a mile.
I agree with you. My car (2011 Chevy) seems to know whether there is someone in the passenger seat, and uses that info for the seat belt and airbag alerts. Seems like something could alert when car is shut off, but there is weight in a seat.
Or even a recording that you could activate or deactivate “Did you check the back seat?” would play when you shut the car off. ??
OR something created by the PARENT, to be sure to remember the baby is back there, would be best, not relying on government and industry to solve this problem....
Good for this young boy to work on the invention, but it seems like there might be better options to consider.
Muslim kid builds a fake bomb and is praised by the leftists.
Smart little 10 year old identifies a problem and comes up with a solution.
Won’t hear too much more about the latter.
We invented public schools because “some” parents did a lousy job making sure their children got an education....
Instead of addressing the problem, we keep trying to clober the symptoms..
Where’s the cool air going to come from?
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