Auto-MAT-ic
Saddle Brook Middle School
Saddle Brook, NJ
Problem: More than 1.6 million senior citizens are treated in emergency rooms every year due to falls in their homes, many occurring in the middle of the night.
Solution: Develop a secure floor mat that automatically turns a light on for a set period of time when a person steps on it as they get out of bed.
The finalist teams were judged for the practicality of implementing their idea. The winning team received the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to take back to their community to make their innovation a reality.