We’ve all seen the headline, “Infant dies in hot car.” According to a San Jose State University meteorologist at the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, in 2016 about 39 babies and toddlers died when they are accidentally left strapped in car seats or left in hot vehicles. If you think this senseless tragedy couldn't happen to you, think again. "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," said Bishop Curry IV, who is an engineer for Toyota in Plano, TX.

This is precisely what happened near McKinney, TX, last summer when a baby died in a hot minivan. The tragedy weighed heavily on Curry IV’s son, Bishop Curry V, who has a one-year-old sister. It inspired the ten-year-old to invent a device he calls "Oasis.” The invention, which already has a provisional patent, is a potentially life-saving tool that every parent could use. Currently, in the design phase, Curry V’s device would attach to a car seat, detect if a child is left inside the vehicle and then blow cool air until parents and authorities are notified.

The Currys recently traveled to Michigan to introduce the idea at an auto safety conference, and the invention has gotten the attention of Toyota. Kudos to Bishop Curry V for demonstrating such empathy, ingenuity and creativity. #BlackExcellence

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Kid Inventions

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