St. Catharines ‘biomedical inventor’ teen wins big in Ingenious+ Challenge

An 18-year-old “biomedical inventor” from St. Catharines took home a $10,000 prize in the latest Ingenious+ Challenge for his device created to assist the visually impaired.

Elijah Cosby is a first-year student enrolled in McMaster University’s Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences Program.

Cosby says it was his mom who initially prompted him to apply for the challenge.

The emerging inventor scored the prize for his wearable device for the visually impaired to be able to detect nearby obstacles.

It was that device that led him to one of five $10,000 prizes awarded to participating teens across the country and a position as the youngest member of McMasters biomedical health incubator, The Clinic.

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The Ingenious+ Youth Innovation Challenge provides the opportunity for teens between the ages of 14 and 18-years-old to “innovate for good” and “share strategies for improving our world.”

It opens the floor to innovative ideas about a product, service, process, or creating something entirely new to improve the world.

Winners are awarded funding to push their ideas towards materializing along with opportunities for skill development.

With his prize money, Elijah purchased a 3-D printer that he hopes to use to perfect his design while he works in collaboration with leaders in the visually impaired community.

For anyone considering submitting their invention to the 2024 challenge, Elijah says to go for it.

“Just take that first step and apply,” says Cosby. “Ingenious+ and everything they’ve provided for me has made my life pretty incredible.”

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