Atomic Boots Take Top Spot

The Atomic Fire Boots science project by four grade three students in South River took top honours at the Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program.

The students developed the “Atomic Fire Boots,” which would convert electrical energy to heat in order to automatically keep feet warm in cold weather.

Full details are contained in the release below.

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The Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program, one of the world’s largest K –12 Science and Technology competitions in the U.S. and Canada, today announced its eight national winning teams for 2006. Projects envisioned by this year’s winning students include innovative treatments for asthma and Tourette’s Syndrome, a compact integrated communications system – even “Atomic Fire Boots” that keep feet warm even in the chilliest climates.

Exploring Science to Imagine Future Technological Breakthroughs
The ExploraVision program, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) challenges students to research scientific principles and current technologies as the basis for designing innovative technologies that could exist in 20 years. Students work in teams of 2 to 4, and since the program’s inception, more than 210,000 students have submitted entries. This year’s top winners were selected from a group of 4,503 team entries, representing the participation of 13,942 students from the United States and Canada.

Using Real Science to Help Improve the World Around Them
ExploraVision students are asked to consider not just the positive effects their inventions may have on society, but potentially negative ones as well. Many of this year’s ExploraVision student winners were inspired to create breakthrough solutions to real-life problems. For instance, four third-grade students from chilly South River, Ontario, Canada designed “Atomic Fire Boots,” which would convert electrical energy to heat in order to automatically keep feet warm in cold weather. After studying the science of magnetism and energy transfer, the students came up with the idea for boots that would be constructed with a miniaturized capacitor to store energy generated by walking, then discharge it into heating coils in the insoles. Another project, the “Body Clock Band” was envisioned by a team of eighth-grade students from St. Louis. The wristwatch-like device would have a nano-computer imbedded in it to dispense sleep inducing or “stay awake” pharmaceuticals through the skin according to user-programmed sleep cycles. The students explored the science of pharmacology to create their project, envisioning the use of non-habit forming drugs and safeguards to limit excessive use.
Medical Breakthroughs – from Asthma to Tourette’s
Four of this year’s winning teams envisioned advancements in medical technologies. Eighth grade students from the Alternative School for Math and Science in Corning, New York proposed the Asthma Sensor Monitoring System, that would use a ceramic biosensor attached to a tooth to monitor nitric oxide levels in the breath of asthma suffers, and to alert caregivers of an impending attack. The Tourette’s Syndrome Preventer, imagined by fifth-grade grade students from Olathe, Kansas, is a pacemaker-like device that would control tics associated with the neurological disorder. Implanted at the base of the brain, it would detect and reroute tics to non-disruptive actions such as wiggling a toe, then use the energy from the tic to recharge its battery. The students researched the science of wireless information transmission, as well as energy transfer technologies and advancements in nano-technology.
Inspired by a teacher from their school who is frustrated with his prosthetic arm, three twelfth-grade students and one eleventh-grade student from Salem, Oregon came up with the idea for “The Human Touch: A Novel Skin Sensory System,”an artificial limb that would use microprocessors to let the patient sense the world through artificial skin.
Four sixth grade students from Anchorage, Alaska, envisioned the “Face Brace,” a healing pressure face mask for severe burn and scar victims. Designed to be placed on a patient’s face either before or after skin grafting, it would use layered medications and oxygen to promote healing and reduce scarring.

Advancements in Global Communication and Security
Two of the winning teams proposed technologies to make the world safer and more efficiently connected. A team of second and third grade students from Clayton, North Carolina, imagined a future where lost children may be a thing of the past. Their project, The “Globe 9000,” is a globe-shaped device that uses facial recognition technology, combining it with video cameras, scanners, computers and other advancements to locate lost children. And three seniors and one junior from Naperville, Illinois, want to give the world “Wireless Information Integration: A Promethean Network.” The system would use a pocket-sized Flat Display Information Assistant, providing TV and internet images, text and visual communications via a high speed global area network maintained by a series of stratosphere-based blimps. The students researched the nascent science of nano-lithography manufacturing to develop their project.

Students on the four first-place ExploraVision teams will each receive a $10,000 U.S. Series EE US Savings Bond. Students on second-place teams will each receive a $5,000 bond. (Canadian winners receive Canadian savings bonds purchased for the equivalent issue price in Canadian dollars.) The eight national winning teams will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip with their families, mentor, and coach to Washington, D.C., for a gala awards weekend June 7-11, 2006. Activities will include a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, a science showcase during which the students will display and demonstrate their winning ideas, and sightseeing. The highlight of ExploraVision weekend will be a gala awards banquet and ceremony where students will be formally recognized for their creativity and accomplishments.

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Only One in Canada