Editor's Note: This story was originally published in Feb. 2017 and has since been updated.
A brilliant 10-year-old Texas boy is trying to prevent hot car deaths with his new invention.
The McKinney fifth grader, Bishop Curry V, told NBCDFW he got the idea when he heard news that a local child had died after being left in a hot car. He calls his invention Oasis and he's hoping it can put a stop to this epidemic.
Oasis is a small device that attaches to the top of a car seat. It can tell if a child was left behind and will blow cool air to keep them from overheating. The device also alerts authorities and the child's parents. Pretty genius, right?
"It would be a dream to have lots of inventions that would save many lives," the young creator says.
Curry V has a provisional patent on the invention and people are taking notice. His family has already demonstrated the device at a conference for car safety. It could be a huge breakthrough for car safety.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Curry's father works for Toyota and pitched the invention to the company. The family hopes that their support, along with the thousands of dollars raised through GoFundMe, will help make Bishop's dream a reality.
A San Jose State University meteorologist says 39 kids died in hot cars last year alone and seven of those were in Texas. The Lone Star State had the most cases in 2016, but the number was on the rise all over in 2016.
Although this may be Curry V's most useful invention, he says he has around 13 other creations ready at his home, which he works on each night - after he finishes his homework. Something tells me we'll be hearing more from this little genius in the future.
