Ukraine's future: Ukrainian children's inventions that will change the world

What is the problem?

russia destroys Ukrainian educational institutions, making normal education of Ukrainian children impossible. Young Ukrainians are forced to learn remotely and in bomb shelters and adapt to a constant shortage of electricity and communication issues. But even under these conditions, our children's desire to develop, invent something new, and promote and implement their projects and inventions does not subside.

What is the solution?

Despite the war, child scientists continue to work on the ideas that they had before the war and diligently generate new ones. Young Ukrainians care about the environment and health, look for new sources of electricity, and develop innovative devices to protect the Motherland. Ukrainian teenagers passionate about science contribute to their country's development and conquer international competitions with their inventions.

It is not so easy to achieve success despite all the obstacles and challenging everyday life of wartime. Today, on Children's Inventors' Day, we are sincerely proud of the talents and perseverance of young Ukrainian inventors. We believe that our brilliant children can make Ukraine the country of the future and change the whole world for the better!

How does it work?

Last October, Ukrainian schoolchildren again participated in the international innovation show INOVA 2022. INOVA is one of the oldest scientific events in the world, which has been held annually in Croatia since 1971. At the competition, young people from all over the world demonstrate developments in medicine, robotics, biology, physics, and other sciences.

The Ukrainian team was going to the international competition in Croatia on October 10, the day of russia's mass shelling. Despite the shelling and difficult circumstances, forty Ukrainian teenagers from different parts of Ukraine went to present their projects and eventually won 40 gold awards!

Thus, Danil Arabadzhi, a student of the Zaporizhia Lyceum Logos, presented a laser 3D scanner for architects and builders at the competition. Danil received several awards for this invention at once: not only "gold" at INOVA but also a special prize from the Romanian Inventor.

His laser 3D scanner is a laser range finder that rotates and calculates the coordinates of every point in a room or on an object. Then these data are transferred to a computer, where a virtual model or scan is created. Such a scanner is much cheaper than current analogs.

Danil started with 4D maps of objects, but one day he saw a video about a 3D scanner, which gave a new impetus to his research. The guy set out to create a prototype, which, as the inventor admitted, barely worked at first. However, Danil continued to work on the project, developing and improving his invention. It took a whole year to finalize the project and win the top spot at INOVA.

His work on the 3D scanner does not stop. Danil is currently improving the software part of the project. And if now, the computer scan that the device creates looks like a set of points, it will look like a full-fledged 3D model of the object in the future.

Anastasia Kurulenko is a student in the 11th grade of the Polytechnic Lyceum at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and a pupil of the chemistry and biology department. The purpose of her research, presented at INOVA-2022, is to determine the risk group for the development of cardiovascular diseases using a software system. 

"Today, cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of death worldwide. Detection of the disease often occurs late, making treatment much more difficult. That's why I decided that the correction of risk groups among the population will be the most urgent," says Anastasia.

Taking into account WHO recommendations, the young inventor developed a software system. It consists of two parts: a test users can take and a pie chart. With the help of the program, in a matter of minutes, even at the workplace, it is possible to identify a person's risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and refer them to a specialist promptly. The corresponding color determines the test result: green means your heart and blood vessels are normal, and red means you should consult a cardiologist. The test is relevant for those between 20 and 55 years old and considers the ten most important risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. Anastasia also believes that her program will motivate people to lead healthier lifestyles.

Anastasia Kurulenko intends to offer her program to large companies. In addition, the girl wants to develop such programs to diagnose other diseases. So, even after winning gold on the international stage, Anastasia does not plan to stop.

Another invention of our young scientists is already being tested in space. A mini-laboratory with dental materials developed by Ukrainian children went to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon rocket.

Students of the 11th grade Sofia Davydova, Mykhailo Harkavets, Yelyzaveta Sadchykova, Vladyslav Volkov, and academic supervisor Andrii Samoilov represented Kharkiv Gymnasium No. 47 at INOVA-2022. The team worked on the project "Hardening of dental materials in microgravity conditions."

Dentistry is necessary for astronauts because they are on the station for a long time and, like other people, need to treat their teeth. There are already known situations when ISS astronauts had to install dental fillings independently. However, in modern dentistry, most materials used are photopolymer, and problems may arise with this on the space station. 

"The fact is that ultraviolet lamps, which dentists need, cannot be used at the station because of fire risk. That's why it became important for us to research this topic so that in the future we can carry out dental filling in space," Sofia Davydova explains in her work.

Work on the project began in September 2021, but after February 24, 2022, the team members moved to different parts of the world and did not have access to the mini-laboratory. In the summer, their school building was destroyed by russian rockets, but the teacher of the inventors was able to save the laboratory and send it to Poland. Thanks to this, the team continued to work on the project per NASA requirements. Now the mini-laboratory is located on the ISS, where astronauts will manage the schoolchildren's experiments according to their instructions.

A student of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, 17-year-old Ihor Klymenko, developed a robot deminer and became a finalist in the Global Student Prize in 2022. This award honors the best students in the world. 

In 2014, when the war began in the east of Ukraine, Ihor entered the 5th grade, but even then, the boy thought about how to help protect the country.

"Then I attended robotics courses at the Minor Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, where I learned about new technologies," Ihor Klymenko said later. "At the same time, hostilities have already begun on the territory of our state. I learned that mines are a serious problem for the military, so I started thinking about what I could create to save the lives of our people in the east."

In the 10th grade, Ihor began to think about the use of quadcopters and drones for his ideas, and during the last two years, he worked on the project of a robot that can defuse mines (Quadcopter Mines Detector). Ihor Klymenko has developed two working prototypes of his device, received two patents from Ukraine, and is currently working with investors and various organizations on their rapid practical implementation to reduce the number of casualties from explosive devices and help the Ukrainian military and eventually other friendly countries, find mines safely. Ihor will use the prize received at the competition to develop his inventions — in the future, he plans to add a detonation function to completely replace people in mined areas with technology. In addition to scientific activities, the boy also manages to do volunteer work; he delivers food.

A schoolboy from Ivano-Frankivsk, Yurii Tumyr, also thought about the safety of Ukrainian defenders. He developed a mine detector drone for the military. The schoolboy presented his project at the annual all-Ukrainian festival Steam-Fest, held in Ivano-Frankivsk in October 2022.

At first, the boy had the idea to make a machine that looked for mines. And then, he decided to create a quadcopter using 3D printing technology. The drone, developed by a young Ivano-Frankivsk resident, can search for mines and mark them on the map of mobile application. According to the student, the drone can spot mines, add them to the interactive map, and determine the size and type of enemy ammunition. The reconnaissance drone was developed by trial and error for about four months. Now the quadcopter is being actively tested. 

The development of a young inventor can be helpful for civilians as well. Of course, only specialists should look for dangerous devices in the fields. However, necessity forced many, mainly farmers, to discover explosive devices. Metal detectors went into action. But they do not give a good result. The solution may be a mine detector drone of Yurii Tumyr.

Demining territories is one of the priority tasks for Ukraine. According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, about 30% of Ukraine's territory has been mined due to hostilities.

To help solve the demining problem, a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Lutsk, Alina Sychuk, created an experimental robot avatar. The invention will help save the lives of sappers currently demining Ukrainian territories. It can be controlled at a distance of 10-20 meters using a special device worn on the arm. Built-in transmitters recognize human movements, translate them into commands and send signals to the robot.

The girl developed the invention with her father, Viktor Sychuk, a lecturer at the Lutsk Technical University, who also teaches at the Minor Academy of Sciences.

The control device was assembled from improvised materials — straps, plastic pipes, and wooden boards. The robot also consists of cheap materials, costing about UAH 15,000. In the event of a mine or grenade explosion, only the most fragile parts will be damaged, and the central electronics should survive so that the repair will cost about 3 thousand hryvnias. Alina Sychuk and her father are working on making the device even cheaper.

The development has already been tested and evaluated by sappers from the Volyn region: "In our practice, we come across explosive objects, which is dangerous for the sapper to approach without the appropriate means of protection. Therefore, this robot would be very relevant in delivering explosives and destroying this object on the spot," says one of them.

Ukrainian children continue to amaze us! A Lviv schoolboy, Zakhar Shchurko, developed a portable charging station for the military. The young inventor's power bank can charge a dozen mobile phones. It is also suitable for charging radios, drones, and even Starlink. 

The device itself can be charged from the included solar panel. Such a generator almost does not heat up, does not make noise, and its temperature is lower than the average temperature of the human body. Therefore, this device is easily camouflaged and will not give away the military's position.

The schoolboy created his invention by spending the money he and his brother collected for a laptop and a bicycle. "The war started, and I saw that the military needed this. Starting and turning on a gasoline or diesel generator is not always possible. Since I have been interested in electronics for a long time, I decided I could try to make a generator," says Zakhar.

The cost of the charging station is UAH 22,000. The guy made his first device in two weeks because he was just learning. Now, if you have all the components, you can make a powerful power bank in two or three days. 

Zakhar Shchurko's invention is already working at the front. A schoolboy sent several such power banks to the front line and received positive feedback. Now Zakhar is looking for sponsors to continue production. The city authorities also undertook to help the teenager continue his work.

Schoolgirl from Mykolaiv, Liubov Slesrenko, presented the project "Desalination and purification of water using a multi-stage hydrogel device using solar energy" at the 2022 National Olympiad of Geniuses. Lyubov won a silver award with her project. Before that, for several years in a row, the girl became a prize-winner in the Olympiad of this direction.

The topic chosen by the schoolgirl is currently very relevant for many cities in Ukraine, especially Mykolaiv. Since April 12, the city has been left without a centralized water supply due to the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water pipeline being cut off by the russian invaders. It has been partially restored, but now people can take only technical water from the taps, which cannot be drunk and which corrodes the pipeline due to its salinity. 

We are sure that the development will not go unnoticed at the international level because, according to the UN, the shortage of drinking water is the number one problem in the world.

The consequences of russia's barbaric invasion, which Ukraine's environment is currently experiencing, are impressive. Therefore, Ukrainians should be more active than ever in protecting our nature and ecological development.

Even during the war, 15-year-old Aliona Zykova from the city of Apostolovo, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, remembers to take care of the environment. She developed an ecological and safe film for packaging. For this project, the girl won second place in the Sustainable Living Space nomination in the InventorUA All-Ukrainian scientific and technical competition.

"Plastic packaging harms the environment. I developed an organic film based on pearl barley and starch. It is safe for food products and withstands low and high temperatures. It serves for a long time and is almost as strong as polyethylene," Aliona Zykova comments on her invention.

The girl worked on the project for several months. Next, the schoolgirl plans to make a bag.

The graduate of Mykhailo Rudiak Lyceum at Starokostiantyniv, Diana Bohatyr, won gold and a special award from the Organization for Creativity Innovation and Invention Promotion (OCIIP) at the International Invention Innovation competition (iCAN) held in Canada.

The inventor created a device for disinfecting things and surfaces. The disinfection device is called UV Cleaner. Diana made it based on modern ultraviolet LEDs. The product has a silicone surface where you can put the item to be disinfected. It is powered by a regular battery and can handle personal items in any condition. 

The device destroys microorganisms that have accumulated on the surfaces of things. Complete disinfection takes place in 5-10 minutes.

For this invention, Diana Bohatyr also received "silver" at the Malaysia Technology Expo innovation and technology exhibition, which took place in April 2022.

According to the girl, people may need the device during pandemics. And it will also be beneficial for those who travel. And this is an excellent solution because the war will end, and peaceful travel will return to our everyday life. 

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