Alexander Deans (born May 1, 1997) is a Canadian-British inventor, engineer, and physician.[1][2][3] He became Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Youth Leader for Canada at Buckingham Palace.[4][5] At age 12, he created the "iAid", a navigation device for the blind which won the Canada-Wide Science Fair in the intermediate category[6] and several awards at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.[7][8][9]
Alexander Deans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alexander Matthew Deans May 1, 1997 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian, British |
| Education | Académie Ste. Cécile International School, McGill University |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, Engineer, Physician, Public Speaker |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | iAid, Visual Arts |
| Website | www.alexdeans.com |
Deans was one of twelve Canadians named on Maclean's magazine's list of Future Leaders under 25.[10] and accepted naming rights to a minor planet from MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Deans was a speaker on the WE Day North American tour for 200,000 youth alongside Nick Jonas and Queen Noor of Jordan.[11]
Early life
editAlexander Matthew Deans was born on May 1, 1997, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada to Robin Deans and Joan Deans.[1] He has an older sister Nicola, and a younger brother, Marcus.[citation needed] Alex's father spoke of his childhood that he "was never really pushed to achieve in academics or competition. Instead, from a very young age, he was allowed to go out, play, and find and make things on his own".[1] Deans was raised in Windsor, Ontario, and attended Académie Ste Cécile International School in South Windsor for primary and secondary school.[12] He speaks English and French.[8][13]
In 2010, Deans competed at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Peterborough, Ontario with a project entitled "Saline Aqua Genesis.[14] The innovation used a salt gradient solar pond to drive a generator for electricity production and distilled water for purification purposes in developing countries, but was unsuccessful at the fair.
Inventions
editiAid
editDeans credits an encounter he had at age 12 with a visually impaired woman as his inspiration to create iAid. He noticed that she was struggling to cross the street and "asked if she needed any help and realized that she was visually impaired. I saw that she didn't have any independence and couldn't navigate well."[15] Deans taught himself to code and aimed to mimic bat echolocation, remarking that "nature is an incredible innovator".[16] At a competition in Charlottetown, Deans demonstrated the iBELT. The device used echolocation-like technology to map the user's environment and plan paths to destinations, directing visually-impaired users through audible feedback.[17][18]
Deans' refinement of the device, which he renamed "iAid", was presented in Lethbridge in 2013.[2] The reworked model incorporated GPS planning, outdoor navigation aids, and tactile feedback through use of an innovative joystick.[19][20][21] The device won Deans both the fair and funding from corporations including Youth Science Canada and BlackBerry.[9][22]
iAid utilizes ultrasonic scanning capabilities to compile a map of the user's surroundings and identify obstacles up to 3.5 meters away. The device directs the user through an intuitive hand-held joystick which swivels automatically to indicate directions to destinations.[6] Distances to destinations are relayed via a tilt bracket in the joystick.[2] Outdoors, the user can make use of iAid's Bluetooth pairing capabilities with cell phones.[8] iAid then avails of Google Maps, compass, GPS, and cloud services to plan pedestrian routes and store them for future reference.[9] Testing was instituted with groups from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Foundation Fighting Blindness.[23][24]
VP: Virtual Passenger/ "Call Me Out"
editIn early 2017, Deans started working with McCann Erickson and Chevrolet to create a new technology, VP, to stop teens from texting and driving. VP (Virtual Passenger) brings celebrities and friends into the automobile via Chevrolet's existing MyLink onboard system when the driver receives a text.[25] The system subsequently analyzes driving and texting habits. Virtual Passenger debuted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2017.[26] The technology was renamed to "Call Me Out[27]" prior to release in August 2018.
Recognition
editDeans' recognition began in early 2014 when he was one of twelve named as a "Future Leader under 25" by Maclean's magazine, described as an "elite group of young people who are outstanding in their fields."[15] HIs wok was recognized by Governor General David Johnston in a speech at the Milken Institute Global Conference Canadian CEO Dinner in Los Angeles, California.[28] Later that year, Deans won second prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California.[6] The Lincoln Laboratory at MIT offered him naming rights to a minor planet at 16 years old.[29] The iAid was named as one of the "Top 50 Ideas Worldwide for Technology in Health, Energy, and Medicine" by the Organization of American States.[30]
iAid began exhibiting at the Ontario Science Centre in the Weston Family Innovation Centre.[8][31] Deans became Royal Bank of Canada's official ambassador for its ChangeAgents program,[32] partnering with the band Hedley to promote the project.[33] Starting in 2015, Deans joined the WE Day stadium tour alongside Demi Lovato and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking to 200,000 youth, starting at the Scotiabank Arena.[11] In 2017, Deans partnered with ACCO Brands and MeadWestvaco for a digital campaign with Five Star to promote creativity.[34]
From 2018 to 2023, he has spoken publicly about developing leadership. He met with Prince Harry and John Major at 10 Downing Street around developing the next generation of leaders.[5] He later gave TEDx talks in Monte Carlo and Frankfurt, among other European cities.
Other work
editDeans was awarded a Schulich Leader Scholarship at McGill University[35] and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering. He earned a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario in 2023 and entered surgical training at Dalhousie University in Ophthalmology.[3]
Deans has been an alpine skier since age 2. In 2011, he was selected to compete for Team Canada at the International Children's Games, organized by the International Olympic Committee.[1]
Deans is known to be an avid artist, frequently referencing portraiture as a source of his creativity. While finger-painting a portrait of Steve McCurry's Afghan Girl, he realized how sensitive his hands were, which influenced the joystick component of iAid, as the feedback mechanism is primarily haptic feedback to the hands.[19] Deans has displayed his portraiture in television and news interviews, as well as public speaking engagements.[36][1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Chen, Dalson (April 16, 2014). "Inventive Windsor teen named 'Future Leader' by Maclean's magazine". Windsor Star. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c CBC News (May 28, 2015). "Alex Deans wins Ontario Science Centre award for iAid device". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ a b ""Alex Deans LinkedIn"".
- ^ Média, Bell. "Windsorite To Receive Award From The Queen". Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ a b "Windsor wunderkind meets Queen Elizabeth, wins young leader award". CBC News. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c Hanes, Tracy (September 26, 2014). "Young inventor inspired to give back". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Press, Intel ISEF (May 16, 2014). "Intel ISEF 2014 Grand Award Winners Full List". Society for Science and the Public. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Baribeau, Andréanne (May 28, 2015). "iAid, l'invention d'un jeune de Windsor pour aider les aveugles". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kielburger, Craig (November 24, 2015). "The kids are all right". Postmedia. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ "Teen Created a Device That Will Completely Change How Blind People Get Around". July 3, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Berkenblit, Laura (September 30, 2014). "MTV and Host Demi Lovato Inspire Youth with WE DAY 2015, This December on MTV and CTV". Bell Media. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Warren, Diane (April 9, 2014). "Grade 11 Student California bound". Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ Mahon, Andrew (August 15, 2015). "Building a new generation of STEM leaders". McGill University. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ CWSF, Virtual (May 5, 2010). "Saline Aqua Genesis". CWSF. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Teitel, Emma (April 14, 2014). "Inventive Windsor teen named 'Future Leader' by Maclean's magazine". Maclean's. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Mangione, Kendra (June 2, 2015). "Nature inspires teen inventor's navigation aid for the blind". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Farrand, Noel (December 22, 2015). "I took each challenge that I faced and tried to use it as a building block and sometimes I stumbled over them but I was able to get over them". Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ CWSF, Virtual (May 5, 2012). "iBELT: Training the ear to see". CWSF. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Ford, Jessica (November 24, 2014). "We Day Speaker Alex Deans Redefines Being 12 Years Old". MTV. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Aftab, Ali (July 10, 2015). "High School Student from Canada Invents Revolutionary iAid Gadget for Blind People". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ CWSF, Virtual (May 8, 2013). "iAid: A Novel Navigation Device for the Visually Impaired". CWSF. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ Canty, Erin (December 28, 2015). "Inspired by Bats, This Teen's Invention is Changing how Blind People Experience the World". Retrieved August 6, 2016 – via Upworthy.
- ^ Canada, FFB (December 25, 2015). "Coolest New Technology in 2015 for People Living with Vision Loss". Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- ^ Martinez, Wanise (July 23, 2015). "Revolutionary 'iAid' wants to be the eyes for blind people". Metro World. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ "Windsor wunderkind meets Queen Elizabeth, wins young leader award". CBC News. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "2017 Speakers". www.canneslions.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "Call Me Out is a Smartphone App that Helps Reduce Distracted Driving". Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, David (March 28, 2014). "Milken Institute Global Conference Canadian CEO Dinner". David Johnston. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Society for Science and the Public (January 20, 2015). "The Future is Bright". Society for Science and the Public. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ OAS (May 16, 2014). "OAS recognizes Young Talent of the Americas in Science and Engineering". Organization of American States. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Wanniarachige, Dane (May 29, 2015). "Windsor teen wins Ontario Science Centre's Weston Youth Innovation Award". Windsor Star. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ The Loops (January 19, 2016). "This teen may have just solved a giant problem for the visually impaired". Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Singh, Harmeet (October 8, 2015). "RBC Looks for Change". Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Five Star Canada (December 15, 2016), How strong is Alex Deans?, retrieved January 6, 2017
- ^ none (August 18, 2015). "McGill students awarded largest Canadian scholarships". McGill University. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- ^ "College Kid's High-Tech Invention Helps Blind People Navigate | Headlines for the Hopeful". hopefulheadlines.org. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.