New Canaan middle schoolers present Sideline Saver and Mopper Walker in Shark Tank spotlight
Summary
Two student teams from Saks Middle School presented product prototypes — the Sideline Saver, a helmet-mounted cooling device, and Mopper Walkers, mop-attached slipper shoes — during the New Canaan Board of Educationstudent spotlight. Students described prototypes, costs and lessons learned from design and testing.
Students from Saks Middle School presented two student-designed prototypes during the Board of Educationstudent spotlight: the Sideline Saver, a helmet-mounted cooling device for athletes, and Mopper Walkers, mop-attached shoes intended to make household chores more child-friendly.
The Sideline Saver team, represented by students Logan and Charlie, described a prototype that clips onto helmets and delivers a cooling breeze. "Our product is the Sideline Saver, which is a solution to all of your problems," Logan said during the presentation. The students told the board their first prototype used 3D-printed casings and off-the-shelf components; they reported a planned retail price of $25 for a version 1 with a production cost of $15, and a planned version 2 priced at $40 with a production cost of $30. The students also said they were seeking $200,000 in investment in exchange for 10% of annual income to expand production and marketing.
Charlie described ongoing development: version 2 is intended to include a small misting spritzer and cosmetic changes to make the device smaller and more ergonomic. In a brief question-and-answer, students told a board member that identifying safe, reliable fans during prototyping was difficult. "A lot of them weren't spinning at all," Charlie said when asked about setbacks during fabrication.
A second team presented Mopper Walkers, a mock-up of foam-and-fabric shoes with Velcro-attached mop and drying pads. Student presenters said the prototype is made from foam insulation, fabric and cardboard, and that it is intended to be easy for children to put on and use. The students provided a cost estimate: $14.09 to make each pair and a proposed retail price of $24.99, yielding a per-sale margin of $10.09. They said current models are on display at the school and have not yet been tested extensively in homes.
Melinda Meyer, introduced by the board as the districtK-12 innovation director and science coordinator (K-8), framed the Shark Tank course as part of a hands-on STEM and design-thinking curriculum begun in 2016. Kevin DeAlton, identified as a seventh-grade science teacher and one of the Shark Tank instructors, introduced the student teams and noted the programwhich includes 3D printing, electronics and a recently added laser engravergives students experience in problem definition, prototyping and pitching.
Board members asked technical and market questions and praised the studentsprocess skills. The presentations concluded before the start of the public comment portion of the agenda.
