Nudgee's New Inventor
October 15, 2008
St Joseph's Nudgee College Year 10 student Duncan Tranent and his Med-E-Vate invention will feature on this week's edition of the ABC's New Inventors program.
The program will air this Wednesday at 8pm on ABC1 and will be replayed on ABC2 on Friday at 4:30pm.
Duncan's appearance on the show means he is in the running to be awarded The New Inventors Bright Sparks Award for 2008 which will be presented in the program's grand final episode.
Med-E-Vate is a limb elevator that Duncan created to help in the process of healing leg and arm injuries by raising the limb above the heart in the most comfortable way.
Traditionally this has been done by placing pillows and other objects below the injured limb in a bid to maintain the elevated position.
Duncan's mother Annette said her son's invention had come about as a result of personal experiences with injured limbs.
"I think Duncan has had the Med-E-Vate concept in mind for a long time," she said.
"He has always played a lot of sport, football mainly, and from time to time he would pick up injuries that required him to keep his arms or legs elevated. He found that pillows just weren't good enough. They were uncomfortable and you still had to hold your limb up."
Duncan's Med-E-Vate invention solved these problems as the frame simply slides under a bed or chair, thus eliminating the need for bulky pillows. The height can then be adjusted to suit the patient who simply rests their limb on the top padded section.
Duncan and his family have filed patent's and licences for the invention and plan to have test proto-types in some Hospitals and Aged Care facilities fairly soon. Sr Cathy Burke from the Nudgee College Health Centre has also requested one.
Nudgee College Principal Daryl Hanly congratulated Duncan on his invention and said everybody at the College was extremely proud of his achievements in being recognised as a young inventor.
"Duncan is a shining example of the problem-solving characteristics we aim to instil in all our students," he said.
"Duncan came across a problem that there was no solution too so he set about finding a solution. He has shown tremendous initiative in designing the Med-E-Vate and we wish him all the best with the next phase of the invention process."