By Parker McKenzie
A Tecoma primary student has won the opportunity to make her own invention a reality after taking out the top prize in ClickView Aussie Student Invention award.
11-year-old Daisy Taylor from Tecoma Primary School invented a wearable flotation device designed with non-verbal autistic children in mind.
The T-shirt – called the Sea Tee – features a flotation device and a sensor that allows children to play and swim safely; even if they can’t communicate they are tired.
Daisy said while her cousin Tim helped inspire the idea, she wanted to help people with her invention.
“It was kind of the whole community that have these problems in everyday life, that kind of inspired me to make the Sea Tee,” she said.
“There were a lot of really good inventions that would help the community but I’m really happy that I get the opportunity to be able to make it a real thing.”
The Aussie Student Inventions Competition is held in partnership with Clickview Australia and TV show Aussie Inventions that Changed the World, with the aim to encourage school children to create and innovate ideas in the classroom.
ClickView Australia head of digital marketing Andrew Donnelly said there was a huge range of ideas entered into the competition.
“Unfortunately we can’t showcase everyone’s ideas and inventions because some of them are amazing,” he said.
“It’s not just cool toys, they are picking ideas about topics that are really important like climate, the environment, mental health well-being while targeting and trying to create solutions to them.”
Clickview is a provider of educational media and video content for primary, secondary and tertiary schools.
As the winner of the award, Daisy will receive two mentoring sessions with the competition’s judging panel to help make her idea a reality, $3000 and access to a network of innovators.
“Invention is sort of a mindset where if you can go out and look around and see if there’s anything that you can change,” Daisy said.
“You could go around and see if that could change in the world.”
Daisy said when she finishes school she wants to be an animator.
“I’d like to thank my teacher and my class because she was super supportive when it was announced that I was a finalist and then I was a winner,” she said.
“They were all super happy and they started screaming and yelling, but in a good way!”
You can read more about the competition, the inventions and the winners at www.clickview.com.au/aussie-student-inventions.
