In it to wind it! The winners of Powering the Future: South Tyneside and Beyond are…
South Tyneside Council and Dogger Bank Wind Farm teamed up with Little Inventors to bring you Powering the Future: South Tyneside and Beyond! Year 4 and year 5 pupils took on an invention challenge created for their year group. This challenge focused on the role and uses of wind and various forms of renewable energy.
After a time of intense deliberation from the team at Little Inventors, a group of experts including a member of South Tyneside Council, Chief Inventor Dominic Wilcox, and a previous winner of an energy challenge, sat down and whittled the whopping 167 ideas down to 4 favourites.
Drum roll please!
The weather may be warming up but the chill from the long winter months lives on in our memories. It’s always a good time to plan ahead and stock up on those thermals. Well, Bo has created another item to add to your wish list…
Auto Shivering Heating device invented by Bo, age 10 from South Shields, UK
“This is for all those people who hate being cold. As you shiver the movement is harnessed in the wristbands which then generates a heater which will warm you up.”
Alice’s favourite animal is the turtle, so she created an invention which harnessed the power of wind to help to protect them - simple! Once the turtle has hatched from her egg in the nesting site she needs to make the dash for the ocean. If they don’t make it to the ocean quickly, many hatchlings will die of dehydration in the sun or be caught by predators like birds and crabs.
The Turtle Motorway invented by Alice, age 9 from Hebburn, UK
“This invention supports turtles making the crossing from the nesting site to the ocean. The propellor, benefitting from the wind at the coast, charges the motorway which is covered to enable the turtles to pass through.”
What better way to ensure a continuous use of renewable energy than to look at and utilise the activities we as humans do every day. Joey did just that. From using the loo to powering your oven this certainly is an invention for every home.
The Toilet Turbine 2000 invented by Joey, age 10 from Bolden Colliery, UK
“The Toilet Turbine 2000 is for everyone. Everyone uses the toilet, so I made this. When you flush the toilet, it powers a turbine which can be used to power lots of homes.”
You’re cruising down the road, wind in your hair, music playing AND you're producing renewable energy. What a WIN! Isaacs invention is something that should feature on all of our cars right now.
'Wind' Mirrors invented by Isaac, age 9 from South Shields, UK
“The propellers will spin in the wind as the car moves which will then provide electricity, which will power the radio and sat nav. This is also a safety feature because it can power the rear and front headlights. Also, the propellers are underneath the mirrors so it doesn't obstruct the driver's view.”
The people at Dogger Bank were so impressed with the invention ideas that they have decided to bring two more to life!
Take a look at Sleep and H2O 2000 invented by Jack, age 10 from South Shields, UK
"My invention is a solar panel heated homeless shelter. The shelter uses sun energy to create heat for homeless people to sleep in. The shelter has a drinking water fountain that is made from filtered rain water."
Last but not at all least... The Litter Picker Boat invented by Tommy, age 9, Hebburn, UK
"It is for everybody to go on as a ride anytime, 20 people can get on it. It picks up litter everywhere and puts it in the back. It works using the wind, the wind pushes it along for 10 days straight. It moves when it is windy, the wind pushes it really hard and it also stores the energy so it can go even when the wind is low."
Discover more about the Powering the Future: South Tyneside and Beyond! challenge here.