Shark-proof suit and app to stop slouching among best inventions

From bad posture to fatal shark attacks, Sydney’s sharpest young minds have come up with remarkable remedies for all manner of dangers. An expert panel has hand-picked the best of the thousands of ­Design and Technology projects. SEE SOME OF THE INVENTIONS.

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From bad posture to fatal shark ­attacks, Sydney’s sharpest young minds have come up with remarkable remedies for all manner of dangers.

An expert panel has hand-picked the best of the thousands of HSC ­Design and Technology projects — and they prove Australia’s famed ­inventive spirit is in safe hands.

A lightweight suit of armour that can withstand shark bites was dreamt up by 17-year-old Manly teen Tom Denby, and an app that stops people slouching over their mobile phones was the brainchild of Freshwater teen Oliver Bowman, 18.

Proving necessity is the mother of invention, lightning struck both boys after concerns for their own health.

Young HSC inventors Oliver Bowman, with his mum Kim Bowman, and Tom Denny, with his mum Paula Denny. Picture: Dylan Robinson

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Tom is a diver who used the same sort of material bulletproof vests are made from to stop even the sharpest great white shark teeth in their tracks — although he concedes it “won’t stop a shark biting your head off”.

“Living on the northern beaches, I’ve always been around the water and therefore sharks always fascinated and scared me,” Tom said.

After conferring with legendary shark diver and expert Valerie Taylor, Tom sandwiched lightweight crosshatched stainless steel between two layers of “aramid” material from the same family of lightweight protective polymer as Kevlar, finished with Lycra for comfort.

Keen diver Tom made a suit which protects people from shark bites. Picture: Supplied

While Oliver created an app that warns the user of a phone when they’re slouching. Picture: Supplied

Oliver is a self-confessed “typical teenager” who spends hours every day looking down at his smartphone, but his sore neck and increasingly frequent migraines were diagnosed by a physiotherapist as stemming from “text neck” caused by hunching for so long.

After teaching himself to code computer programs from YouTube video tutorials, Oliver created the TILT app that progressively fades the mobile screen to black, the further the phone is lowered from eye height.

“My parents and physio would always say ‘watch your posture’ and ‘look up’, so I came up with a way to force phone users to have good posture,” Oliver said.

“The most optimal angle of the phone is eye height, or 45 degrees, but that’s unrealistic, so once you get lower than 50 degrees the screen gets darker and darker.”

Oliver’s app would also make it impossible for drivers to use their phones behind the wheel, unless they held the phone in front of their face.

Both boys are hoping to monetise their HSC projects.

Among the other winners are Ella Lehmann from Mount St Benedict College, who developed a digital ­device worn on the wrist that warns the wearer when they’ve had too much sun exposure, and Sophie Andrews from Wenona School, who designed and built a cheap prosthetic for amputees in war-ravaged nations.

Wenona School student Sophie Andrews created a cheap prosthetic for amputees in war-torn countries. Picture: Supplied

She created it using bamboo, which is readily available worldwide. Picture: Supplied

Sophie’s prosthetics can be made from materials that locals in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam can source cheaply. She consulted Paralympic rower Jeremy McGrath to fine-tune her new low-cost prosthetic and make it comfortable.

“When I travelled to Laos in Year 9, I was exposed to the devastating impact of unexploded bombs in rural areas,” Sophie said.

“I wanted to produce something that fills a genuine need.

“Bamboo is renewable and readily available and accessible worldwide.

“I would love to put my prosthetic on to the market for people in developing countries who can’t afford proper prosthetics.

Education Minister Rob Stokes marvelled at the talent and ingenuity of the next generation of designers and engineers.

“Our young inventors have shown there is no limit to human creativity,” Mr Stokes said.

“They’ve proved there is always a new discovery awaiting on the horizon.”

A selection of the best inventions will be displayed at Shape 2018, at the Powerhouse  Museum, Ultimo from Tuesday, February 22.