PRESS ROOM & NEWS

Student Innovations in Long-Duration Space Exploration Recognized at FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award Ceremony


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Team Awarded $20,000 Prize to Help Make Space More Accessible to Women
 

MANCHESTER, N.H., July 3, 2019 – Students from around the world were recognized yesterday for their exemplary space exploration solutions at the ninth annual FIRST® LEGO® League Global Innovation Award ceremony at the California Theatre in San Jose, Calif. Twenty FIRST LEGO League teams were honored for their innovative solutions in a ceremony that included:

  • Co-host Emily Calandrelli, an MIT engineer turned science TV host and children’s book author.
  • Co-host DeejayKnight, an educator turned entertainer and online broadcaster.
  • Presenter Donald E. Bossi, president of FIRST®.
  • Speaker Dan Burbank, senior technical fellow for Collins Aerospace and retired NASA astronaut.
  • Parents, students, coaches, sponsors, and leaders in innovation and technology.

FIRST is an international not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s participation and interest in science and technology. FIRST LEGO League teams from 31 countries worldwide submitted their solutions for the 2019 FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award. Submissions were reviewed by a panel of expert judges, who then selected a winning team and two runners-up after a series of interviews and presentations throughout the two-day event. The winning team received a cash award of $20,000, and both runners-up each received $5,000.

FIRST LEGO League team FrancoDroid from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, received the Global Innovation Award for their innovative solution for long-duration space travel that helps make space travel more accessible for women.

  • WINNER – CosmoCup by FrancoDroid of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Although a woman’s menstrual cycle can go uninterrupted in space, there are not a lot of waste-disposal systems aboard a spacecraft that are set up to handle a female period. This results in female astronauts choosing to take contraceptives to skip their periods instead. CosmoCup creates a functional cleaning process that consists of a menstrual collector with a membrane on top, which would prevent the blood from dissipating.
  • RUNNER-UP – AstroTube Clipper by Chaos Crew of Fresno, Calif., USA
    Without gravity, the task of clipping finger and toenails in space is extremely tedious, inefficient, and sometimes messy. The AstroTube Clipper catches nail clippings and allows for easy disposal in zero gravity.
  • RUNNER-UP – WEMIT by iDB-Tech-No-Logic of Verona, Italy
    WEMIT is a machine that unknits an astronaut’s specially-made garments, passes the whole thread through a cleaning solvent and then re-arranges the clean thread on a spool, which can be put into a 3-D knitting machine.

Attendees and online viewers voted on a People’s Choice winner, which also went to FrancoDroid from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

As part of the event, the 20 semi-finalist teams attended workshops on crafting strong pitches, business models, user experience design, and additional topics led by Global Innovation Award supporters and sponsors.

2018-2019 FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge
For the INTO ORBITSM Challenge, FIRST LEGO League teams (students ages 9-16; ages vary by country) in 95 countries were asked to identify a human physical or social problem faced during long duration space exploration within our Sun’s solar system and propose a solution, all while operating under the FIRST signature set of Core Values, emphasizing innovation, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. More than 323,000 children worldwide explored what’s possible when we work together to solve pressing issues facing our planet.

FIRST LEGO League partners with Global Innovation Award sponsors to advance the common goal of fostering innovative problem-solvers. Partners in Innovation include Booz Allen Hamilton and LEGO Education. Global Innovation Collaborations include Collins Aerospace, John Deere, Qualcomm® Incorporated, and XPRIZE. The FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award is presented in cooperation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Select quotes

  • Donald E. Bossi, president of FIRST, said: “Congratulations to the FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award Semi-Finalist teams. To get here, they worked together to create an innovative solution to a complex problem, while considering possible barriers to implementation, documenting their work, and validating their design with STEM professionals – all challenges they’ll face in the workforce. Like many throughout our FIRST community, these young global citizens are striving to make the world a better place.”
  • Dan Burbank, senior technical fellow for Collins Aerospace and FIRST team mentor, said: "In a very real sense, these kids represent the future workforce. Collins Aerospace supports programs like FIRST because they make kids aerospace-savvy, curious, and innovative, and they will bring that same energy and talent to our company and the future workforce. FIRST is a great recruiting tool and proofing ground, building a workforce that is nimble, innovative, relentless, passionate – qualities we want to develop solutions beyond the next generation, beyond this orbit."
  • Camilla Salvagno, student participant on team iDB-Tech-No-Logic, said: “FIRST LEGO League has helped me become a better innovator, think outside the box, and not to be scared to tackle problems like scientists and engineers have been trying to solve for years. It doesn’t matter if people think your solution is too weird or too different to work. When you show you can fix a problem in a new way, they will understand. The fact that it was different is what made it successful.”

Watch the previously taped award pre-show and ceremony on FIRSTtv. Learn more about FIRST LEGO League and the Global Innovation Award.

 

About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $80 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org.