Asuka Kamiya, a 12 year-old sixth grader from Aichi Prefecture, only sought to make her grandfather’s job easier when she did her school assignment. Her resulting invention of a self-separating recycling bin, however, resulted in her becoming one of Japan’s youngest patent holders and an inspiring example of the power of youth.

神谷明日香
発明と家族愛 ― いかにしてすばらしい発明は生まれるか？

愛知県の小学六年生、神谷明日香は、ただ祖父の仕事を楽にしたい一心で自由研究に取り組んだ。そこから生まれた缶自動分別ゴミ箱の発明により、明日香は日本で最年少の特許保持者の一人となった。彼女は子供たちの持てる力を示し、他の子供たちを勇気づけてくれる。

The next time you find yourself saying or thinking “They’re just kids”, think again. Increasingly it is the world’s youth who are taking action―locally and globally―to make the world better. Asuka Kamiya, a 12 year old sixth grader from Aichi Prefecture, is a shining example of the power of today’s youth. When Asuka was assigned a Science project last summer, her thoughts turned to her grandfather. Every day she watched him sort the aluminum and steel cans that piled up outside their family-managed vending machine near their house. Inspired to help make her grandfather’s task easier, Asuka created a self-separating recycling bin that is so effective she applied for―and received-- a patent. She now stands as one of the youngest people in Japan to hold a patent. Asuka reminds us that the key to the future not only rests in creating a new world, but also to seeing the challenges of our current world through fresh eyes.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx