By Gabby Sahm
Staff Writer
@gabbysahm
You might think the halls of Coppell High School would be empty by 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night. The Disruptive Innovation team, however, is here to say otherwise.
On Feb. 17, the Disruptive Innovation Lemelson-MIT Inventeam, one of the many teams in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program at CHS, held its mid-year review at CHS and showcased the work they had completed thus far on their Innovation Gateways.
Gateways is an invention incorporating new technologies to develop an interactive training device capable of being personalized for each student suffering from a disability. The team has been working on the project since last summer, and will continue it through the next school year.
Gateways was designed for special education teacher Eileen Higgins so she could let the students work freely. The students press certain buttons according to what is being shown on the monitor. The data is then recorded via the Kinect attached on top which collects data on their actions.
“It will help me track data,” Higgins said. “It is hard when you are looking in 90 different directions, and I’m trying to make sure the students are doing what they are supposed to be doing and how consistent they are doing it.”
There is a wider base for students in wheelchairs and the monitor can also spin in a 360 degree motion to accommodate certain students needs. It can also move up and down for differences in height.
Junior team leader Zane Erickson started the presentation and has been leading the team since the summer.
“Seeing everything come together in the end is very gratifying,” Erickson said. “When you start with a project that has nothing to it and then you see it all come together in a nice little package is just great to see.”
They have comprised three different modules so far: V1, V2 and V3. The first two versions were made of wood while the third, and latest, is comprised of an 80/20 aluminum alloy. V3 also plays the voice of Dora from “Dora the Explorer” or Gary from “Spongebob Squarepants” when you press the buttons.
Junior technical lead Nino Teruya, has dealt with all the hardware and mechanical aspects. He has helped in designing the modules by making it functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. He has enjoyed the process so far, and hopes that they can continue on even more.
“I like just being able to hang out with other peers that think alike,” Teruya said. “[We] are striving towards the same goal and seeing the entire project just come to life piece by piece is cool.”
Junior marketing lead Ruth Fernandes has been working on the presentation for weeks with senior Erin Payne, fellow team member and the executive lead. They worked on the speaking and bullets points for slides, the script and the overall display of the presentation.
“Just seeing everyone present really makes me feel great,” Fernandes said. “We have accomplished so much and it shows our community what we have done and that there is much more to come.”
The team hopes to achieve even more goals in the upcoming months so that they can be ready to showcase at EurekaFest, a multi day event that empowers inventors through activities and inspire youth to be creative and use problem solving, in June.
