7 Inventions Conceived by Kids That Make the World a Better Place

We know kids are creative and inventive. From their limitless imaginations to their artistic inclinations, children are known for the playful ways in which they learn and innovate.

[see-also]

But did you know that some of today's most useful inventions were actually conceived by kids? This should not be too hard to believe. Mozart was, after all, just five when he dreamed up his first composition.

Here are five great inventions thought up by children proving great things can come from small packages! These wonderful innovations are not just brilliant, they are contributing to make the world a better place. We dare you not to be impressed.

1. The ultra-efficient catalyst turning Egypt's plastic waste into biofuel

Egyptian teenager Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad was just 16 years old when she discovered an inexpensive and speedy catalyst capable of turning plastic waste into biofuel at a sustainable rate. Faiad conceived of a process that uses a chemical called aluminosilicate to break down plastic into methane, propane, and ethane.

The inventive youngster has estimated that her process could generate up to 138,000 tons of hydrocarbon gases per year, equivalent to $78 million in revenues. Her work has already garnered her the European Fusion Development Agreement award at the 23rd European Union Contest for Young Scientists as well as interest from the Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute.

Faiad's solution is not only a potential key to solving the country's plastic waste problems it can also give the economy a significant boost. We are sure we will be hearing more from this resourceful young lady!

5. The writing system that brought reading to the visually impaired

Braille today is known as the code that allows the visually impaired to read many languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. Although traditionally reserved for embossed paper, the tactile system can now be communicated through current electronic devices via the use of refreshable braille displays, electro-mechanical devices for displaying the characters with raised pins.

What few may know is that this elegant and efficient communications tool was created by a teenager. Its inventor Louis Braille was just 15 years old back in 1824 when he conceived of the system that has survived to this day.

Braille had lost his sight as a result of a childhood accident. Desiring to improve upon the then popular night writing code developed during war, he created and later, in 1829, published the code which would be known as braille.

His second revision, published in 1837, would come to be recognized as the first small binary form of writing developed in the modern era. Braille is today celebrated as a hero and a genius and both accolades are very well-deserved!

 6.  The Lego printer that brought braille to the masses

Following on the footsteps of braille's inventor, 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee is responsible for making the printing of this crucial code available to the masses. Indeed, before Banerjee, braille printers cost upward of $2,000.

When little Banerjee discovered this, he was determined to do something about it. Equipped with a Lego's Mindstorms EV3 block kit, the inventive teen engineered his own Lego-based printer at a fraction of the traditional models' standard prices.

The invention earned him a Tech Awards 2014 merit and an invitation to the White House Maker Faire. It also led him to start his own brailler printer firm Braigo Labs which later developed the "world’s first Low-Cost/Silent/on-chip translation/IOT-Cloud enabled printer concept." 

7. The super-efficient Ebola-detecting test

This 16-year-old from the US was inspired by the devastating news of an Ebola outbreak to invent a super-efficient test for the virus. Her efforts garnered her the 2015 Google Science Fair prize.

Olivia Hallisey's test is temperature-independent, fast, cheap, and stable. Furthermore, it gives easy-to-read results in less than 30 minutes, possibly before the carrier has even begun showing symptoms.

This means the test could one day detect Ebola in a carrier before the patient becomes infectious. In addition, the invention could contribute to improving recovery rates as the quicker a carrier is treated the more likely they are to survive.