Joseph Lazar is only 13 years old, but he already has great talent and is particularly sensitive to animal welfare, especially dogs. His family also has 2.
A few months ago the boy lived Albuquerque in New Mexico (USA) had entered a competition organized by Engineers of the future. Thousands of participants in this competition were asked to design the best toy for a dog or cat. The object had to be innovative and the purchase price could not exceed 20 dollars (approx. 18 euros).
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Encouraged by Shannyn Pareohis middle school teacher Desert Ridgestudent in year 4e have” did a lot of brainstorming around different ideas [qu’il avait] “, he tells KRQE. He ended up focusing all his efforts on creating a hydration ball for dogs.
” Sometimes when I play with my dogs outside and it’s hot, they suddenly stop and walk towards the door panting as if begging for water “, explain Joseph Lazar. That’s what led him to imagine a ball that allows canines to quench their thirst while having fun.
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Such is his ” Doggy water polo », consisting of a core which is filled with water, covered with a first layer of absorbent foam, then with a porous envelope and finally with an outer covering provided with holes. The principle is simple: every time the dog has the ball in its mouth, the pressure – even slightly – from the jaw releases water, and the animal drinks it without realizing it.
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“I could not believe it”
His teacher advised him in particular to take into account the movements of the water and the process that allows its release, as well as the choice of materials.
Engineers of the future announced the names of the 2 big winners of the competition at the end of May 2024.” I was in shock. I could not believe it. I thought it was a joke “, said Joseph Lazar looking back at the moment he found out he was one of the winners.
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The other is a schoolgirl named Kaitlin Ho and originally fromEdinburgh in Texas. She envisioned a cat scratching post with 3 rollers, each of them covered in a different material. her” Treadmewl “, as it was named, allows cats to have fun, to scratch their claws and to scratch areas of the body that are difficult to access.
