DENVER (KDVR) — It’s not too often that you would see a nationally awarded invention coming from a kid, but one of those rare instances came from Lone Tree 12-year-old Anirudh Rao.
Rao was named a runner-up for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, which highlights the work of 25 young leaders across the United States and Canada. From a pool of 600 applicants, 15 top winners and 10 runners-up are selected for their work.
The young Rao was described as someone passionate about designing solutions to problems that are becoming worse due to climate change.
He has worked on an invention that could help save the lives of people who live in tornado-prone areas.
His invention is called “Revere,” an early detection system for tornadoes that can increase the average warning time for a tornado from 13 minutes to 40 minutes, which would allow people more time to safeguard their property, and most importantly, their lives.
To detect the tornadoes early on, Rao’s system deploys a network of drones equipped with sensors that can detect and continually monitor the potential tornado.
If Rao’s work didn’t impress you — don’t worry, he has plenty more to offer.
The tornado detection system is only one of his few inventions, with another coming in the form of a road surface design that can melt ice more efficiently, and a wound-management invention that helps prevent the infection of wounds, with an emphasis on disaster-struck or war-torn regions, according to a press release.
One of his inventions will leave adults scratching their heads, wondering, “How did a 12-year-old come up with that?”
He invented an alternate battery that uses moisture-powered nano generators. His work on this project earned him a top 10 finalist spot in the 3M and Discovery Education Young Scientist Challenge.
Rao’s inventions were designed to support others, and his mission to help those around him doesn’t end there — he loves to share his knowledge and perspective with other young minds, and has presented to over 5,000 elementary students in the last three years.
“I’ve learned that change doesn’t always begin with solutions,” said Rao in the press release. “It often begins with questions, stories, and empathy towards each other.”
He wants to inspire the next generation of minds — which is laughably his own generation, given how young he is — to “see science as deeply connected to who we are as people.”
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