Float switches are used in everything from environmental applications to the food industry. But
did you know they’re also being used in student inventions? One student from Pinewood middle school used a float switch to create a way to monitor floods in at-risk areas and to inform drivers when it was unsafe to drive through those areas.
The National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurial Exposition
The invention itself was presented at the National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurial Exposition. This invite-only event included 300 students from around the country. Only about 240 of those 300 students attended the event, which took place in the hall of the United Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C. The event showcased an automatic, prop-up pill to help you breathe more easily, a stick that makes it easier for restaurant workers to put butter on pancakes or waffles, and a hands-free umbrella, among other inventions.
The Float Switch Invention
The Pinewood student, named Aaron Bongiorno, won first place overall at the South Carolina convention for his float switch invention. He wanted to create a way to prevent flood deaths, and so found a way to alert drivers in real-time that water on the road was too deep to drive through safely.
The Water Alert Real-Time System (WARTS) works by using a float switch. This float switch alerts drivers with a series of lights when the water reaches 3 to 7 inches, and then 7 to 12 inches deep. While the system is relatively simple, Aaron hopes to make it a bit more in-depth. He plans to use the Venturi system to assess flow.
The float switch system, in theory, would also work with NOAA’s Turn Around Don’t Drown campaign. Focused on preventing deaths in floods, this campaign seeks to educate adults about floods. A mere 6 inches of rushing water is enough to knock over an adult, and 12 inches of rushing water can carry away a small car.