This Teenager Is Living In The Year 3019; 14-Year-Old Solves Car Blindspot Problem

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The year is 2019 and for all the safety technology that comes jam packed in cars these days, we’ve yet to properly solve an age old problem: Blindspots.

Car blindspots are not only dangerous to the drivers of the vehicle, but also to other motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Of course, many companies are working on all sorts of high-tech solutions for this but one 14-year-old girl from Pennsylvania has come up with a brilliant, ingenious low cost solution that puts all the big car brands to shame.

Tired of seeing her mother constantly struggle with blind spots while driving, Alaina Gassler came up with an idea. She put a webcam on the outer pillar of her mothers car, which then recorded everything that was previously hidden from the driver, because you know, car pillars aren’t transparent. Using a projector, she then displayed a live feed from the webcam, unto the interior pillar, with the help of custom 3D printed parts to perfectly align the projected image and make it seem like as if the car pillar is indeed transparent.

Watching the video, you can see just how impressive Gassler’s invention is. The teenage inventor also took into account the practicality of it all, opting to make use of special reflective fabric to not only get a brighter and clearer final image, but also ensure that the image is reflected only to the driver.

Her invention was actually part of a project called “Improving Automobile Safety by Removing Blind Spots,” for this year’s Broadcom MASTERS science and engineering competition for middle schoolers. As you would expect, the 14-year old took home the competitions top prize, which pocketed her a cool US$25,000.

Don’t stop inventing, Alaina!

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