A 10-year-old boy from McKinney, Texas, has invented a device that he hopes will be a life-saving tool that every parent can use — a device to help prevent infant hot car deaths.
Fifth-grader Bishop Curry V told NBC-DFW that he was inspired to create the device, which he calls "Oasis," after a baby died in a hot minivan last summer in the nearby city of Melissa. The attachable device, according to PopSugar, latches onto a car seat to detect if a child has been left behind in a hot car. The Oasis would then blow cool air onto the baby while alerting parents and local authorities.
Burry's father, Bishop Curry IV, who is an engineer, told NBC-DFW that he understands how babies can sometimes accidentally be left behind in hot vehicles.
"Sometimes babies fall asleep and they're really quiet, so if you're rushing home from work or you're rushing to the grocery store, I could see how somebody could forget," he told NBC-DFW.
According to the Anna-Melissa Tribune, Curry Jr. presented his idea to car manufacturers at the Center for Child Injury Prevention Conference last year, and his father has put forth an intellectual patent on the idea. The Currys have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise $20,000 to obtain a formal patent.
On average, 37 children die annually from heat-related deaths after being left in hot cars. Hopefully, Bishop's device will receive the full funding it needs to be standard issue for every parent.
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