Photo: WSOCTV.com There were 2,200 entries in the 2008 Bubble Wrap® competition held by the cushioning producer, the Sealed Air Corporation. The top three winners were chosen on January 26, 2009 and the Grand Prize went to eleven-year-old Tucker Haas from Charlotte, NC. His winning entry, entitled "My Personal Swing Thing," was inspired by his younger sister Lexi, who has Kernicterus, a physical disorder similar to cerebral palsy.
Tucker, who won a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond for his invention, used Bubble Wrap to convert a regular swing into something that could support his sister and others with disabilities while they use swings. He created a portable swing with pockets where varying amounts of Bubble Wrap could be placed to provide support wherever each person needs it. My Personal Swing Thing can be fitted to any regular swing.
Tucker HassTucker’s wish is to insure that his Swing Thing is available to every child who needs one around the world.
Last year, Tucker’s older sister, Hannah, took home first prize in the same competition, inventing a bubble wrap wallpaper as a therapy tool for children with movement disorders. The sensory wallpaper is used to help develop muscle function.
Nicolette MannThe Bubble Wrap Second Place Winner also developed a therapeutic device, this one for stroke survivors. Nicolette Mann, age 13, of New Brunswick NJ, developed the "Stroke Rehabilitation Color Chart."
Nathan Huber
Third Place Winner Nathan Huber developed an interchangeable flash card system to make learning more fun for kids. Nathan is 14 and hails from St. Peter, MN.
My colleague, Dustin Brady, announced the Bubble Wrap Contest here on InventorSpot in October, 2008. So far, no contest dates have been announced for 2009.
Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors, wsoctv.com
