Pocatello 13-year-old wins award at national invention competition
Sam Ross
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Porter Meyers, a 13-year-old from Pocatello, recently won third place in the seventh grade category at the RTX Invention Convention US Nationals in Michigan for his design of a ‘sound energy harvester’ device for cars.
Meyers’ design for his sound energy harvester, which uses the vibrations from car motor noise to produce electricity using magnets and copper coils, got him second place at the regional Invention Convention, first place in state finals, and now third in the national platform.
“Everybody is very blessed with their ability to create something,” said Meyers. “With that blessing, you’ve got to use it wisely and not necessarily like, ‘oh, today I’m just going to go out and change the world’, but instead of having that mindset like, ‘oh, today I’m going to go help someone out and make their life better than it already is.'”
Meyers said he was inspired to design his sound energy harvester when he saw a lack of electric car charging stations in the Pocatello area and wanted to create a device which could charge electric and hybrid cars on the go.
With help from parents, neighbors, friends, and teachers, Meyers drafted plans and 3D printed a prototype which he took to the Invention Convention events; for his work, he was awarded a ‘patent search’ document to look for patents similar to his design with the potential to patent his sound harvester device if no similar models exist.
Meyers said in the future he hopes to work with rockets and potentially become an aerospace engineer. He also hopes to inspire other young inventors to follow their dreams of creating something to help the world.
“Don’t be afraid to do it just because you think it isn’t a good idea,” said Meyers. “Just do it because it might change someone’s life for the better.”