Bishop Curry IV

Bishop Curry IV was ten years old in 2017 when he learned of a local tragedy involving a child who died after being accidentally left in a hot car, an experience that moved him to want to build something that could prevent similar deaths from ever happening again.

Working with his father, an engineer, Curry began sketching designs for a device that could detect a child left alone in a vehicle and take automatic action to protect them. His concept combined motion sensors, GPS tracking, messaging alerts and active cooling technology into a single car seat attachment.

The resulting invention, which he named Oasis, attaches to the top of a child's car seat. If a motion sensor detects a child left alone and motionless, it sends an alert to the parents and, if unanswered, to emergency services with the vehicle's exact location, while simultaneously activating a thermoelectric cooling system to blow cool air onto the child until help arrives.

Curry's invention earned him national recognition, including honours from the United States Patent and Trademark Office's young inventor programme, and he has continued developing the device toward commercial production, driven by the goal of ensuring no family experiences the tragedy that first inspired him.