NEWS – Last year, I wrote a post about a 10-year-old boy, Bishop Curry V, who came up with an idea for a device he calls the Oasis. This device is intended to save children from hot car deaths. He felt driven to help put an end to such tragedies after having heard about a little girl about the age of his younger sister who had died in a hot car. His device contains sensors that detect the temperature of the vehicle and if a child is present, then alerts the parents and the authorities to come to rescue the child when the device is activated.
At the time that I wrote about him last year, he was trying to raise enough money to obtain a patent for his device and as of April 10, 2018, he received the good news that he had obtained it (according to his GoFundMe site). Now he is in the process of raising money to cover the cost of “at least 140 hours of design, testing, and assembly”. They estimate that it will take a lot more than the $50,000 they raised the first time around, but for now, he is targeting $10,000. He hopes to sell the final device for around $50.
Bishop is an industrious and inventive boy – he apparently has a whole book of inventions (-Bishop Curry, TedxPlano talk). “He is a regular robotics and STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] camp attendee and believes in the power of science to change the world.” (GoFundMe site). He has recently been traveling around the country giving talks at conventions about his device and encouraging kids saying, “Don’t let age limit your possibilities… don’t let limited resources limit your dreams… and make ‘helping’ be your highest priority.” (-Bishop Curry, TedxPlano talk).
I will keep you up-to-date on his progress and also let you know when his device becomes available for purchase!
It’s always so exciting and inspiring for me to see people come up with cool solutions to current day problems, especially when that person is so young. It also makes me question just how productive I am with my own time – I mean what have I invented lately? Bishop, you put me to shame! Kudos to you for making this world a better place!
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This is a great post, Kathleen! Thanks for sharing it. Reading stuff like this renews my hope in the coming generation.
Smythe – Thanks! I thought he was a really inspiring person to write about. I wish I was as inventive as he is! And he lives not too far away from me so he is a local hero/celebrity too (I don’t know him, but I wish I did)!!
Any updates on this device?
I found these last 3 updates straight from the GoFundMe website (https://www.gofundme.com/end-child-hot-car-deaths-phase-2):
4 MONTHS AGO
“Hello Friends,
Bishop recently finished the engineering phase of Oasis and is now actively seeking a manufacturer to partner with. We will now close his campaign. Thank you again for your support, thoughts and prayers.
Thanks,
The Curry Family”
7 MONTHS AGO
Youtube link for this update:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuaWv_51EeE
“Milestone update. Bishop is finalizing Oasis with his engineering team at Kickr Design and will pick up the finished product next week. Baby Jogger recently requested that he submit his patent to their research department. We are hopeful that Baby Jogger or another car seat company decides to implement his technology into their car seats. Bishop is so thankful for all of your support and is still determined to end hot car deaths.”
12 MONTHS AGO
“Our family is overwhelmed by the support that we have received. GoFund has helped us complete the first phase of getting Oasis on the market, which was provisional patent, final patent, and lawyer fees. With the support of our previous campaign and the current one, we are able to hire an engineering firm to help refine the concept with industrial design and test and build a working prototype. We have increased our goal to $30,000 so we can begin the 3rd phase of pilot production, pay for an international patent, trademarks, marketing expenses, confidentiality and licensing agreements. Again, we are so grateful for all of the support from GoFundMe and each of our donors.”