Two groundbreaking inventions created by Windsor students—a brain-controlled wheelchair and a device to keep babies safe while sleeping—have made waves on the international stage. The three young scholars from a Windsor tech-focused learning centre brought home gold and silver from the Robofest World Championship at Lawrence Technological University in Michigan.
Winners of the RoboMed Junior Category
Ste-Cecile Academy eighth graders Aleeza Anees, her twin brother Aariz Anees, and seventh grader Ashton Lenehan, who all attend an after-school program at Genio-Tech Robotics, secured first and second place in the RoboMed junior category in mid-May. Each team had four minutes to pitch their robotics solutions to medical problems before a panel of judges. Winners received a $3,000 scholarship along with a large gold trophy.
Second Place: Sleepo 2.0
Aleeza and her brother were stunned when they came in second. “I ran and then I high fived everyone, and then we got our trophies and I was like, ‘Oh my god, we won!’” she said. The Anees siblings developed a device to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. The Sleepo 2.0 wraps around the child and alerts parents via an app if sensors detect the baby is in a dangerous position and at risk of suffocating.
First Place: Neuro-Wheelz
As the twins walked back, Lenehan was surprised to hear his name called for first place. “I thought for sure I didn’t get anything,” he said. Lenehan came up with the idea for his award-winning prototype Neuro-Wheelz after hearing about a relative with severe paralysis. “I wanted to think of a way that I could help my great grandpa, so that’s why I invented a brain-controlled wheelchair,” he said. The user controls the chair by blinking, which triggers brainwave signals that move the device.
Preparation and Reaction
The students took months to prepare for the competition. “We had to do a lot of research based on how we were going to build our device,” said Aariz, who started working with his sister on the prototype in September. “We had to also come up with our presentation.” Genio-Tech Robotics CEO Peri Mahmoud traveled with the students to Michigan. “I was crying,” Mahmoud said. “I was literally crying.”
This is Lenehan’s second time at Robofest, and he still finds the competition both scary and exciting. “It was like a rush of adrenaline,” he said. “You didn’t know if you were going to get first place or last place.” The competition proved intense but also fun. In fact, Lenehan and the Aneeses hope to compete at next year’s competition in South Korea.
Building Future Entrepreneurs
Mahmoud feels that robotics competitions can help create a generation of young entrepreneurs. “There are a lot of engineer graduates right now, a lot of business graduates,” she said. “If you’re not unique, you’re not going to stand out. So, our mission is to create those entrepreneurs that have brilliant ideas—and we do see it throughout the kids we teach.”
