Cave-Loving 16-Year-Old Develops Underground Texting System
Los Alamos, New Mexico's 16-year old Alexander Kendrick won the 2009 International Science Fair for developing a cave radio device that could drastically alter the landscape of cave research -- and save lives in the process. Employing low-frequency radio waves, Kendrick's cavernous communicator transmits messages from deep below the Earth's surface to identical receivers above ground. As NPR reports, Kendrick recently sent a message from 1,000 feet below sea level, which was successfully received by his father, perched directly above ground. The feat marked the deepest known digital communication ever achieved in the United States.
Kendrick still has to fine tune the radio a bit, and is reportedly trying to make it smaller and easier for cave crews to use. But if it does eventually become portable enough for practical application, it could have a major effect on cave rescues, which have long been hindered by communication barriers that often prolong rescue efforts -- often at the expense of human life. Experts are also suggesting that the invention could have a positive ecological effect, especially in environmentally sensitive caves, where human presence alone can disrupt and contaminate important biological processes. With Kendrick's radio, though, scientists could transmit data about the cave from afar, and thus minimize their impact on the environment.
As for Kendrick, after he finishes tinkering with his radio, he's planning on delving into his next project, which involves finding underground rivers using electromagnetic currents. We're not really sure what that means, but judging from this whiz kid's scientific wherewithal, we're pretty sure it'll be way more important than anything we ever did at 16. [From: NPR]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carol Stout said 9:55PM on 2-06-2010
Kendrick you must be one smart kid. Keep up the good work; this invention could help save many lives and earn you a fortune in the process. Be sure that you have a lawyer or someone take care of patenting things and do anything else that may be necessary to protect you legally. You are also helping to show a lot of people that the kids of your generation are not as dumb as some people seem to think they are, keep it up kid.
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jwerhiskids said 11:00PM on 2-09-2010
Good for him, keep doing hard things =)
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