Bright teen thinks it - and invents it

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES: Liam Ellis won the Bright Sparks invention competition for the third year in a row with his Avert invention, which prevents bad posture.

Relevant offers

Education

Woman found unconscious at university Ngaio quake-prone classrooms closed Call for curbs on school exclusions $51 million university hall in hot demand Pub owners give up, open kindergarten Sex attacks turn eye on school bullying Associate head quits after response criticised Wellington schools feel pressure as rolls swell Principal resigns over national standards Mum cops $200 fine for truant daughter

Teen inventor Liam Ellis hopes a cashed-up businessman doesn't take his ideas and make millions of dollars.

For the past decade the Hutt Valley High School pupil, 18, has been fascinated by making things, including a robot and a mechanical arm that he hopes will one day help bed-ridden patients.

His latest gadget – a shirt that prevents bad posture by monitoring vertebrae and alerting the wearer when they start to slouch – has won him a national high school competition for the third straight year.

The wearer puts on the top, which has variable resistors sewn in, and sets it so it senses when the posture is correct. But he still has one problem to overcome.

"It needs to be made more reliable because it can't be put in the washing machine. It will get a bit smelly after being worn a few times. The idea is there, it just needs to be developed further."

Liam would love to put a patent on his ideas, but has been told it would cost thousands of dollars. In the meantime he is hoping no-one steals his inventions and makes a fortune.

"I would be pretty gutted, but there's not much I can do. Maybe once I have finished university and have a job I could look into getting a patent for them."

The competition for young inventors – Bright Sparks – attracted more than 70 entries nationwide. They included a remote-controlled lawnmower, a fire-fighting robot and an automatic chlorine dispenser for swimming pools.

But not all of Liam's ideas are successes. Annoyed with the amount of plastic bags being wasted he tried to invent clothes pegs by melting the material.

"It just turned into this big plastic blob. It didn't quite work out how I wanted. But that's part of the fun – trying new ideas to see if they work.

"I enjoy solving problems. If I can't solve something I get frustrated and it makes me even more determined to come up with an answer. I might go back and have another go at the pegs."

He plans to study for a bachelor of engineering at Canterbury University next year. He eventually plans to work in the robotics field in Europe.

LIAM'S GADGETS

Winning entries at the Bright Sparks competition:

2009: A garment that prevents bad posture by monitoring vertebrae and alerting the wearer when they start to slouch. The wearer puts on the top, which has variable resistors sewn in, and sets it so it senses when the posture is correct.

2008: A robotic arm with gripping claw, mounted on tank-style tracks, which can be piloted by remote control. Powered by a 12-volt motorcycle battery, it has an on-board wireless camera, plus gas and heat sensors. Liam hopes his creation will one day assist bedridden hospital patients, or help in search and rescue missions or with gas leak detection.

2007: A robot made from wood, metal, plastic and an old video recorder. The child's toy has two legs and uses ultrasonic sensors that enable it to see obstacles.

- © Fairfax NZ News