Invent Idaho regional competition this weekend

The 2015 Invent Idaho and I Cubed Challenge winner, Alexander Knoll, a North Idaho STEM Academy fifth-grader, recently took Ireland by storm with his invention, the “Ability App.”

Alex’s invention — designed to aid people with disabilities when they visit restaurants, hotels, bookstores and other public locations — caught the eye of the people at Irish Tech News.

By invitation, Alex presented his invention to more than 40,000 people at the 2015 Web Summit in Dublin in early November.

The state’s next amazing young inventors will participate this weekend in the North Idaho Regional Invent Idaho event. It takes place Saturday and Sunday at Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene. Winners from North Idaho will compete at the Invent Idaho State Finals at the University of Idaho March 4-5.

Unique innovations will be revealed as more than 200 young inventors from Moscow to Sandpoint display their creative ideas. The awards ceremony will be held from 4-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31.

Invent Idaho challenges students in first- to- eighth-grades to identify real-world problems and brainstorm to develop creative solutions.