ExploraVision Honorable Mentions

The ExploraVision competition challenges K-12 students in the United States and Canada to research, develop, and solve real-world problems with a STEM focus. ExploraVision asks students to examine and imagine new technologies 10 or more years in the future through collaborative brainstorming and research of current science and technology.

• B.C.A.K, or Battling Childhood Anxiety Kit
  The team envisions building an interactive robot called the BuddyBot that uses AI technology to help children connect, socialize, learn, and grow. To monitor childhood anxiety, children would also wear a unique bracelet that looks out for low blood sugar, a known contributor to childhood anxiety. 

• CrisisCompanion
  Existing stress monitors have trouble detecting heartbeats, and with this new technology, the team hopes to detect distress through hormones. People would wear a sensor with a small cuff that hooks around the ear to track hormones. They would get notified on their phones of their stress and anxiety, as well as learn to manage it through exercises and advice. 

• The Reefanator
  A new technology to revive and regrow coral reefs using two important chemicals and regrowth assistants to prevent infection and promote growth. The team hopes to revive coral reefs that are dying around the world. 

Led by Science Teacher Rick Tuten, this year’s ExploraVision projects included a wide range of scientific disciplines, spanning from nanotechnology and engineering to agriculture, environmental systems, and medicine. Other submissions included:

ATD, or the Asthma Trigger Detector, is a machine that can monitor the air for a person to warn them of specific asthma triggers.

CancerCatcher is a unique nanopolymer that can find and encase tumors to stifle their growth and prepare them for surgical removal.

CompostaBox aims to produce sustainable food products from composted waste.

Lenz is a heads-up display set of glasses designed for people with dementia, helping to identify other people, reading reminders, and tracking locations, among other tasks. 

Medikit robotically dispenses and administers neurological drugs.

Mint is a wearable computer that can monitor blood for various medical conditions.

NephronMech sees a robotic “kidney” as a portable or implantable dialysis machine. 

PlastAway attaches to tractors to help eliminate microplastics from the soil. 

TempTek is a nanotech implant that would directly stimulate the hypothalamus in the brain to combat fever and hypothermia. 

“All of the students genuinely impressed me with their entrepreneurial enthusiasm, creative visions, and optimistic teamwork as they methodically researched and developed their concept prototypes,” Mr. Tuten says. “It was my pleasure to guide and cultivate their interests.”