Max Weir attended the Malaysian Invention & Design Society’s World Young Inventors Exhibition earlier this month where his prototype was up against 800 entries from more than 20 countries. His project titled ‘Kids fight Climate Change with Artificial Intelligence’ was the only entry from Australia in the Secondary Level section of the competition, which he won despite the average age of competitors being 16.
A miniature prototype of the Biobin (The Lead)
The automated compost bin monitoring system has several features including a light sensor that measures the amount of waste being put into the bin by volume and weight. It also has a weight sensor that measures the amount of compost being produced through the decomposition process in the bin. The real-time information can then be viewed on a web page or mobile app.
Max is now working on a system to capture the methane – a greenhouse gas – produced in the composting process so it can be later burned as fuel. His invention is designed for a BiobiN, a patented system for organic materials developed by Willunga-based Peats Soil. It also incorporates the locally invented runlinc electronics development platform that uses the internet to allow programming to be done directly onto a microchip.
