The BBT shoe
Full Invention Name:
Shoe with sliding shoe cap
Team Name:
The Big Brain Theory
Team Number:
9850
Team Description:
Our team is an all girls rookie team comprised of 3 sixth graders and 3 seventh graders from North Canton Ohio. The team came together through FLL and an interest in science. Their FLL robot was fondly named Rodney. Even though each team member had different interests and talents, they all became good friends. The team was selected to move on to The University of Akron, FLL District competition after having competed in the Hudson Regional competition. At the Hudson regional competition, they recieved an Innovation Hall of Fame award for the BBT shoe. They also recieved the Referees' award for inspiration and won the trophy for gracious professionalism. At the District competition, they did not move forward to the State level but did win the trophy for outstanding research for the BBT shoe innovation. They have filed a provisional patent on the innovation. They loved solving a problem that the elderly face and hope that the BBT shoe will help the elderly to live better lives.
Category:
Independent
Brief Submission Description:
Our team has developed the BBT shoe. The innovation in the shoe is that an elderly person may open and close without bending over to manipulate closure mechanism by hand. The BBT Shoe is a shoe that is made up of two parts. The top of the shoe consists of a non-detaching cap that slides over the sole of the shoe. The wearer simply steps into the shoe base and then taps the front of the shoe to slide the cap into place. The cap is held onto the shoe base with a slider slot on the base of the shoe. To hold the shoe cap into place in the fully closed position, a magnet (or other closing mechanism) in the cap and shoe base keep the cap secure to the senior's foot. To remove the shoe, a magnet release is located in the front tip of the shoe. The shoe tip is placed against a magnet or steel plate and the foot is moved back until the shoe base is pulled from the shoe cap in the open position. Currently, we have a shoe prototype built and have filed a provisional patent.
