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6-year-old ‘Supergirls’ were clearly Obama’s favorite White House Science Fair participants

These young inventors created a device to help turn book pages.

 

Lisa Granshaw

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Posted on Mar 24, 2015   Updated on May 29, 2021, 5:59 am CDT

A group of young superhero inventors presented an impressive Lego invention to President Obama at the 2015 White House Science Fair on Monday. Five 6-year-old Girl Scouts from Oklahoma created a battery-powered device that automatically turns the pages of books.

According to the New York Daily News, the “Supergirls” Junior FIRST Lego League Team from Daisy Girl Scouts’ Troop 411 were the youngest team at the fair. Their invention is meant to help those who may have trouble turning pages on their own, especially people who are paralyzed or have arthritis.

“The Supergirls sketched out a design concept and culled through motorized Lego components and gears to figure out how to build a working prototype,” the White House’s description of the girls’ project says. “They discovered that the friction from rubber Lego tires could be used to lift and turn the pages of a book. They honed the device with a second motorized component that forces pages to lay flat after being turned over.”

Each of the girls wore a cape as they presented the invention to Obama. The team told the president that the invention took them a total of 3 months to build. They expertly described the device to him and proved themselves to already be an impressive group of inventors.

At one point, Obama asked the girls if the invention could be sped up or slowed down, to which the girls answered no. When Obama responded that it would require a bit of an adjustment, one of the girls replied, “It’s a prototype.”

They already know their invention can be even better!

The girls also had a very cute exchange with Obama regarding brainstorming sessions that is worth a watch.

You can see more of the girls’ presentation to the president and the invention in action at around 30:40 in the video below. The video also shows Obama touring the other exhibitors at the fifth annual science fair, which featured projects from students across the country.

H/T New York Daily News | Screengrab via ABC News/YouTube

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*First Published: Mar 24, 2015, 12:40 pm CDT