10-year-old Texas boy invents device to prevent death in overheated cars


Inspired by a tragedy, Bishop Curry V hopes that his new invention, the Oasis, saves the lives of kids like him.
In 2016, an estimated 39 children in the United States died of heat stroke after being left in hot cars, including one infant who lived near Curry, 10, in McKinney, Texas. This stuck with Curry, and he decided to try to come up with a solution. The Oasis is a fan that attaches to a car seat and can tell when a car is not moving and if there is a child in the seat. If there is a child buckled in and the temperature in the car reaches a dangerous level, the Oasis will begin to blow cold air and send a message to the parents. If they fail to respond, police and paramedics are called. "It would be a dream to have lots of inventions that would save many lives," Curry told NBC5.
Curry's invention has an intellectual patent, and once he gets a formal patent, he will be able to start making a prototype. Curry has raised more than $30,000 online for startup costs, and wants Oasis to be available to the public by 2018. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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