Young innovators from Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School advance with life-saving underwater robotics concept
Two young innovators from Folsom are earning national recognition for a creative technology concept designed to save lives in the water — and they’re doing it while still in the earliest years of elementary school.
Local students Sahana Reddy and Claire Jenkins of Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School have been named regional winners in the 34th annual Toshiba/National Science Teaching Association ExploraVision competition, one of the world’s largest K-12 science contests focused on future technology and innovation. Guided by coach Alexis Sohrakoff, the students developed a concept called The UnderWatch Lifeguard, an underwater robotic lifeguard designed to detect and respond to drowning emergencies in seconds.
Despite their young age, the students chose to tackle a serious real-world problem. Drowning remains the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 14.
Their concept imagines a future pool safety system capable of recognizing when someone is drowning and reacting faster than a human lifeguard might be able to.
The UnderWatch Lifeguard is designed as an underwater rescue robot that constantly watches swimmers from beneath the surface. Using a 360-degree dome camera combined with artificial intelligence, the system analyzes swimmers’ posture, motion patterns, speed and how long someone remains fully underwater to determine when a person may be in distress.
When the system detects a possible drowning situation, it immediately activates loud alarms and sends text notifications to nearby adults or lifeguards.
At the same time, the robot begins a rescue sequence beneath the surface.
Using rubber track wheels, the device quickly moves along the pool floor until it positions itself directly underneath the swimmer. A hydraulic telescoping column then raises a sturdy grated platform upward, lifting the person out of the water so they can breathe while the system moves them safely toward the edge of the pool.
According to the students’ design concept, the entire rescue process could take less than 20 seconds.
Programs like ExploraVision encourage students to explore real-world challenges through science and engineering while developing skills in research, data analysis and collaborative problem solving. Participants are asked to examine existing technologies and imagine how they might evolve or transform at least 10 years into the future.
The competition, sponsored by Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), emphasizes critical thinking and engineering design principles that align with modern STEM education standards.
“Toshiba believes the future is built by those who are willing to explore it,” said Tom Kumagai, chairman and CEO of Toshiba America, Inc., in announcing the winners. “The creativity, communication and collaboration skills learned while participating in ExploraVision empower students to move beyond textbooks to tackle the real-world challenges of today.”
Kumagai added that the enthusiasm students bring to the competition reflects the promise of the next generation of innovators.
“The sparkle I see when students showcase their ideas is awe-inspiring and clearly shows that the future of innovation is within the capable hands of these young minds,” he said.
This year’s competition recognized 24 regional winning teams from across the United States and Canada, each presenting technologies aimed at addressing complex challenges in areas ranging from medicine and energy to infrastructure and public safety.
Among the projects recognized were innovations designed to detect structural damage in concrete, wearable health monitors capable of analyzing gait abnormalities, retainers that analyze saliva to detect health issues, and contact lenses that could monitor retinal blood flow to predict migraine attacks before symptoms begin.
The Gallardo Elementary team’s UnderWatch Lifeguard concept stood out among the competition’s lifesaving innovations.
“ExploraVision demonstrates what’s possible when students are empowered to think boldly and apply science to real-world challenges,” said NSTA President Beverly DeVore-Wedding, Ph.D. “These regional winners embody the creativity, collaboration and critical thinking that drive innovation forward.”
The 24 regional winning teams will now advance to the national judging phase of the competition. Students will develop prototypes of their ideas, create team websites and produce short videos explaining how their technologies could work.
Four first-place national teams and four second-place teams will ultimately be selected. Members of first-place teams will each receive a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond at maturity, while second-place winners will receive $5,000 savings bonds. National winners will be recognized during an ExploraVision awards ceremony scheduled for June 5.
Since the program began in 1992, nearly 450,000 students from across the United States and Canada have participated in ExploraVision, gaining early exposure to science, technology, engineering and mathematics while exploring how innovation can help solve real-world challenges.
For the two young students from Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School in Folsom, their life-saving robot concept has already placed them among the competition’s top young thinkers — and one step closer to national recognition.
More information about the competition is available atwww.exploravision.org.
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