Latest news with #EarthPrize
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
An award-winning invention by 3 teens could help get plastic out of shipping boxes. They want to pitch to Amazon and Home Depot.
Three teenagers in New York designed a cardboard, called Kiriboard, to replace plastic packaging. They got the idea when a box of motors for their robotics hobby arrived damaged. Their invention won the $12,500 Earth Prize. Now they plan to buy a machine to make more Kiriboards. Three teenage boys in New York City have invented a clever packaging material that they hope will replace toxic plastics and make plastic-free shipping a reality. Zhi Han (Anthony) Yao, Flint Mueller, and James Clare are planning to pursue a patent and eventually pitch their product to Home Depot, as well as traditional shippers like Amazon, FedEx, and the US Postal Service. They call their geometric, cardboard invention Kiriboard, since it's inspired by Japanese kirigami, which is the art of cutting and folding paper. "Something like this is the wave of the future," Jerry Citron, the teenagers' environmental-science teacher, told Business Insider. Yao, Mueller, and Clare won the Earth Prize on April 8, making them one of seven winning environmental projects by teenagers across the globe. The award comes with $12,500, which they plan to use to buy a cutting machine, called a CNC router, and test more prototypes. Just like any plastic, Styrofoam and other plastic packaging can shed microscopic bits of plastic into homes and the environment. Microplastics have been detected from the oceans to the top of Mount Everest, in animals' and humans' body tissues and blood, and even in rain all over the planet. They're associated with heart attack and stroke risk. Some researchers suspect they could even be contributing to the recent rise in colon cancers in young people. "I didn't realize it was as big of an issue as it was," Yao told BI. "I mean, companies have made sustainable initiatives and greener initiatives, but they haven't really fully replaced plastic packaging." Enter the Kiriboard: Kiriboard is cut into lattice-like shapes so that it can bend to fill the space between an item and the wall of its box. The cuts give the cardboard a three-dimensional structure that makes it sturdy and allows it to bend and absorb impact, protecting what's inside, similar to bubble wrap but without the plastic. Once perfected, the three teens hope their design can help ship packages of sensitive or heavy equipment even more securely, at a competitive price. Clare, Mueller, and Yao are all on the same robotics team at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Clare is a junior, and Mueller and Yao are seniors. The idea for Kiriboard started when they opened a shipment of Kraken X60 motors, which are about $200 a pop. They found that the brass pins, which connect the motors to a robot, were damaged and unusable. They assumed the pins had been damaged in transit. "We're like, well, we should do something about this packaging, because clearly the packaging wasn't good enough," Mueller said. Clare thought about how cars are engineered with crumple zones, meant to absorb the energy of impacts to protect the people inside. Similarly, he said, "you can make strategic weak points in your packaging so that the package warps and deforms," sparing the package's contents. With help from the Earth Prize program and Citron, they built and tested their first Kiriboard prototypes. It was a scrappy effort, with cardboard scavenged from their school. After some research and consulting various teachers, Yao said they drew up eight or nine different designs, and narrowed down to four to build and test. Then, came the fun part: dropping heavy stuff on their creations. To test their prototypes' durability, the teens slammed them with a roll of tape, a stapler, a can of soda, and a metal water bottle — "which did the most damage, but not as much as we thought it would," Clare said. They dropped each item onto the Kiriboard prototypes from various heights, so that they could calculate and study the physical forces of each impact. "Basically, we want to see what's the most amount of force it can take before it snaps," Yao said. The results were promising, the trio said. The Kiriboard prototypes sustained very little damage, which they judged by checking the cardboard for dents. They plan to move forward with all four designs, which they hope will be useful for different types of shipping. In the design pictured above, four triangular "legs" hold the Kiriboard in place inside a box. "This middle section, we call it the matrix. This is supposed to be flexible," Yao said. Once you place an item for shipping inside the box, the matrix "is supposed to form to the product." Once they've purchased a CNC router to automate cutting the cardboard, they plan to test prototypes by actually shipping them in boxes. "Right now, we want to perfect our product," Yao said. When it's ready, they said they might also pitch it to the electronics company AndyMark, which shipped them the robotic motors that arrived broken. "No shade to them," Clare said, adding that their robotics team frequently orders from AndyMark with no problems. "We're on the brink of, like, this could become a reality, and it's just up to us to put in that final effort," Mueller said. Clare chimed in: "All from a broken package." Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
25-04-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
An award-winning invention by 3 teens could help get plastic out of shipping boxes. They want to pitch to Amazon and Home Depot.
Three teenage boys in New York City have invented a clever packaging material that they hope will replace toxic plastics and make plastic-free shipping a reality. Zhi Han (Anthony) Yao, Flint Mueller, and James Clare are planning to pursue a patent and eventually pitch their product to Home Depot, as well as traditional shippers like Amazon, FedEx, and the US Postal Service. They call their geometric, cardboard invention Kiriboard, since it's inspired by Japanese kirigami, which is the art of cutting and folding paper. "Something like this is the wave of the future," Jerry Citron, the teenagers' environmental-science teacher, told Business Insider. Yao, Mueller, and Clare won the Earth Prize on April 8, making them one of seven winning environmental projects by teenagers across the globe. The award comes with $12,500, which they plan to use to buy a cutting machine, called a CNC router, and test more prototypes. Plastic-free shipping could change the world Just like any plastic, Styrofoam and other plastic packaging can shed microscopic bits of plastic into homes and the environment. Microplastics have been detected from the oceans to the top of Mount Everest, in animals' and humans' body tissues and blood, and even in rain all over the planet. They're associated with heart attack and stroke risk. Some researchers suspect they could even be contributing to the recent rise in colon cancers in young people. "I didn't realize it was as big of an issue as it was," Yao told BI. "I mean, companies have made sustainable initiatives and greener initiatives, but they haven't really fully replaced plastic packaging." Enter the Kiriboard: Kiriboard is cut into lattice-like shapes so that it can bend to fill the space between an item and the wall of its box. The cuts give the cardboard a three-dimensional structure that makes it sturdy and allows it to bend and absorb impact, protecting what's inside, similar to bubble wrap but without the plastic. Once perfected, the three teens hope their design can help ship packages of sensitive or heavy equipment even more securely, at a competitive price. Broken motors and crumple zones Clare, Mueller, and Yao are all on the same robotics team at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Clare is a junior, and Mueller and Yao are seniors. The idea for Kiriboard started when they opened a shipment of Kraken X60 motors, which are about $200 a pop. They found that the brass pins, which connect the motors to a robot, were damaged and unusable. They assumed the pins had been damaged in transit. "We're like, well, we should do something about this packaging, because clearly the packaging wasn't good enough," Mueller said. Clare thought about how cars are engineered with crumple zones, meant to absorb the energy of impacts to protect the people inside. Similarly, he said, "you can make strategic weak points in your packaging so that the package warps and deforms," sparing the package's contents. With help from the Earth Prize program and Citron, they built and tested their first Kiriboard prototypes. The matrix It was a scrappy effort, with cardboard scavenged from their school. After some research and consulting various teachers, Yao said they drew up eight or nine different designs, and narrowed down to four to build and test. Then, came the fun part: dropping heavy stuff on their creations. To test their prototypes' durability, the teens slammed them with a roll of tape, a stapler, a can of soda, and a metal water bottle — "which did the most damage, but not as much as we thought it would," Clare said. They dropped each item onto the Kiriboard prototypes from various heights, so that they could calculate and study the physical forces of each impact. "Basically, we want to see what's the most amount of force it can take before it snaps," Yao said. The results were promising, the trio said. The Kiriboard prototypes sustained very little damage, which they judged by checking the cardboard for dents. They plan to move forward with all four designs, which they hope will be useful for different types of shipping. In the design pictured above, four triangular "legs" hold the Kiriboard in place inside a box. "This middle section, we call it the matrix. This is supposed to be flexible," Yao said. Once you place an item for shipping inside the box, the matrix "is supposed to form to the product." Once they've purchased a CNC router to automate cutting the cardboard, they plan to test prototypes by actually shipping them in boxes. "Right now, we want to perfect our product," Yao said. When it's ready, they said they might also pitch it to the electronics company AndyMark, which shipped them the robotic motors that arrived broken. "No shade to them," Clare said, adding that their robotics team frequently orders from AndyMark with no problems. "We're on the brink of, like, this could become a reality, and it's just up to us to put in that final effort," Mueller said. Clare chimed in: "All from a broken package."
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pioneering teenagers win acclaim for invention that could change the future of clean water: 'We'll refine our prototype'
Two European teens have won a prestigious prize for their invention, which could change the future of clean water. Earlier this month, Tomáš Čermák, an 18-year-old from the Czech Republic, and Anna Podmanická, a 19-year-old from Slovakia, were named the European winners of The Earth Prize. The two were recognized for their invention, PURA, which uses light and plasma to purify wastewater. As writes, PURA is an "energy-efficient, cost-effective solution [that] could transform water purification and ensure a healthier future." Podmanická's research specializes in water purification using photocatalysis, in which light sets off a chemical reaction that breaks down organic matter at a molecular level, leaving water and carbon dioxide behind. Čermák researches how cold plasma can destroy pollutants and bacteria, and they combined their specialties to create PURA. reports that PURA is already working on a small scale, removing impurities from wastewater and making it suitable for drinking water and other household uses. "Our next step is to scale PURA," Cermak said in a video accepting the award. "We'll refine our prototype, test it in real-world conditions, engage students, and work with policymakers to lay groundwork for this new technology." Finding an affordable way to bring clean water to all people would truly change the world. The United Nations estimates that 2 billion people, or roughly 25% of the world's population, don't have access to clean drinking water. And recent studies show that PFAS, or "forever chemicals," are prevalent in drinking water globally. The Earth Prize is an international competition, awarding teenagers who develop solutions that move the world toward environmental sustainability. Each of the seven regional winners, such as Čermák and Podmanická, receives $12,500 to help implement their idea. A public vote determines the global grand champion, with the winner announced in late April. Previous projects from the competition include an AI-powered wildfire sensor, a tool that helps predict flood patterns, and technology that uses plasma to boost crop yields and create eco-friendly fertilizer. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Teens invent refrigerator that doesn't need electricity; aim to help rural communities
The Brief Three teens from India created a refrigerator that doesn't need electricity to work. The Thermavault uses salt to stay cool. The creators aim to help rural areas that don't have access to electricity. Three teens from India have created a salt-powered refrigerator and their goal is to help medical facilities in rural areas that don't have access to electricity. Dhruv Chaudhary, Mithran Ladhania and Mridul Jain are all students at the Shishukunj International School Indore. Their recent invention, called the Thermavault, was submitted to The Earth Prize which inspires students to solve environmental sustainability problems across the world. Dig deeper The Thermavault uses "ionocaloric cooling based on the dissolution enthalpy of ammonium chloride in water to fuel its cooling process," according to the official website. This type of system will allow whatever is inside the Thermavault to remain cold without the use of electricity, which is a crucial workaround for rural areas. What they're saying "The COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder of the lack of electricity availability in rural areas; we've seen, firsthand, the problems with transporting vaccines, food and essential supplies to these locations. Thus, we redesigned our science-fair cooling system into our solution," the group shared on The Earth Prize website. What's next While Chaudhary, Ladhania and Jain did not win the global Earth Prize, they did win the regional competition. Their inventions won them $12,500 from The Earth Prize and the group plan to use the money to build more Thermavaults, according to Business Insider. Chaudhary, Ladhania and Jain plan to build 200 more Thermavaults and send them to 120 hospitals for testing. "We have been able to keep the vaccines inside the Thermavault for almost 10 to 12 hours," Dr. Pritesh Vyas, an orthopedic surgeon who tested the device at V One hospital in Indore, said in a video on the Thermavault website. The Source Information for this article was gathered from a Business Insider report, The Earth Prize website and the Thermavault website. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
CairoScene
14-04-2025
- Science
- CairoScene
Abu Dhabi Students Win USD 12,500 Earth Prize for AI-Powered App
The EcoMind Academy app uses gamified lessons to teach students sustainability and connect them with green initiatives. Apr 14, 2025 A high school team from Ghayathi in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region has won the 2025 Earth Prize for the Middle East with an AI-powered education platform called EcoMind Academy. Developed by Sustainability Heroes - a team made up of schoolgirls Israa Ashraf, Almaha Almansoori, Fatma Hussen, and Jourey Abdullah from Al Reef Private School - the app integrates sustainability into school subjects through gamified challenges, quizzes, and rewards, aiming to make environmental education engaging and actionable for young learners. Organised by the Earth Foundation, the annual Earth Prize recognises student-led innovations in sustainability. This year, EcoMind Academy stood out among 1,300 teams from 138 countries, earning the Middle East regional award and a USD 12,500 prize. The team's app not only encourages eco-conscious habits in the classroom, but also connects students with local environmental businesses and initiatives through workshops, school campaigns, and field activities. The students plan to use the prize to expand the app's reach, enhance its AI features, and launch it across government schools in the UAE. They also hope to introduce EcoMind Academy to other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Oman, contributing to broader environmental awareness across the GCC.
