Sterling School’s First LEGO League Team Applies for Patent
Second Sterling Team seeking votes in Global Innovation Competition
The Blazing Blocks-Reloaded LEGO League team at Sterling School will apply for a patent for the project they created as part of the First LEGO League (FLL) competition. Rob Aldridge, coach of The Blazing Blocks-Reloaded Team 3335, coached the students as they competed in the First LEGO League program.
As part of the FLL experience, The Blazing Blocks-Reloaded Team 3335 was required to invent something to improve the lives of senior citizens. After interviewing several seniors, a medical supply representative, and through various experimentation efforts, students decided to develop a product to improve stability called the “Omni-Wheel Walker.” They designed, using SolidWorks 3-D design software, the Omni-Wheel walker assemblies. They fabricated a working prototype walker, machining components and building the four omni-wheel assemblies to attach to a walker.
Judges at the regional competition recommended that they patent their invention. The students have completed and submitted a Provisional Application for Patent, and they also interviewed a patent attorney to learn more about the process.
Sterling School’s second FLL team, the Sterling Stormers, is competing in the Global Innovation competition, designed to encourage FLL teams to further develop their innovative solutions to real-world problems. The Sterling Stormers’ project, the Giga-Grip, is a glove that is designed to help people with arthritis of the hands. The team developed and prototyped a glove that has padding to help reduce how much someone has to close their hand to grip an items such as the handle of a pot, a steering wheel, or a spoon. It also has compression qualities that help reduce pain for some wearers. The team partnered with a local senior hand arthritis specialist to research and get feedback. The glove has been evaluated by a hand physical therapist and a primary care doctor.