In the world of science and ever-changing technology, there is really no stopping the kids and teens in this generation from paving the way and changing things for the better with incredible lifesaving innovations you could only dream of a few years ago.
Living in a world where there are so many health concerns, this now 15-year-old from Calgary, Alberta, entered and won his very first science fair in 2022 with a high-tech indoor rescue drone that was specifically designed to save people who suffered life-threatening health events in their home.
CBC Kids News shares a profile of 10th grader Max Du, who is crazy about robotics and used materials sourced from a 3D printer along with a few household items to build the prototype of his potentially lifesaving indoor drone.
So, where did Max first come up with the idea of the high-tech surveillance drone? According to CBC Kids News, Max received a drone from his parents for Christmas in 2021, but he found it difficult to take outside for exploration due to the snowy Calgary weather, so he often used it indoors.
On an episode of the How to Why Podcast, Max told the host that “the challenge” he was hoping to help solve with his science fair project was to help “rescue more cardiac arrest patients at home before the EMS arrives,” including those who live on their own.
On the podcast, Max noted that suffering from a cardiac arrest at home is very dangerous because approximately only 10% of cases survive. He also explained that cardiac arrests are the third-leading cause of death, and he felt like there just wasn’t a solid solution that existed to help people.
According to CBC Kids News, it took Max approximately six months of work and close to $2,500 to build the drone. He relied on the support of his parents along with some funds sourced from youth-based community services.
Max designed the drone with four key features in mind. First, it activates when the individual in need presses the emergency button on their chest. Second, the drone is able to locate and find patients in mere seconds anywhere within their home. It also enables a surveillance connection with an emergency medical team and can deliver lifesaving medication and support. Pretty incredible, right?
As any scientist or inventor knows, you are going to run into many challenges throughout the trial and building process. One funny thing that Max and his parents found was that since Max’s science project was a drone, they had to deal with him flying and crashing it many times inside the family home.
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CBC Kids News notes that oftentimes when Max was trying to add an “exciting innovation, such as an extendable arm that could administer a needle,” it would then alter the equilibrium for the drone and cause it to crash. Max would need to readjust things or even start again with fresh parts.
Since winning the top prize and then qualifying for the Canada-Wide Science Fair, Max is taking college-level robotic classes, wants to get his drone licensed, and hopes to keep going with it and even apply for a patent so that he has legal ownership over his invention. He hopes to have it become available for the masses one day.
Check out the cool video Max Du included with his top-prize-winning science project!
