Self-taught engineering genius wows MIT
What makes a prodigy?
Aside from having a great mental ability, studies suggest that child prodigies would require a good learning environment and useful resources to hone their gifts. Surprisingly, one genius African teen needs none of those to be exceptional.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology met Sierra Leone prodigy, 13-year-old Kelvin Doe, who uses his neighbors' broken electronic scraps to create machines.
Doe's inventions were inspired both by necessity and the urge to help his community that suffers from constant power outages.
"I made my own battery to power lights in people's houses," Doe explained. With his improvised electronic devices, Doe was able to put up a community FM station under the name "DJ Focus". There, he plays pop music and entertains the whole neighborhood.
"They call me DJ Focus because I believe if you focus, you can do an invention perfectly," he said.
In his YouTube video, Doe bound soda, acid, and metal together to make his first prototype battery. To keep his radio station running, he built a custom generator out of old voltage stabilizer, runs the station with a repaired music mixer, a recycled CD player, and set up an antenna for his avid listeners. He also recruited friends and schoolmates to help him.
Doe impressed MIT experts after he improvised batteries and generators from trash. He is the youngest ever to participate in MIT's Visiting Practitioner's Program –a chance to go to the US, share his innovative ideas, meet with technology experts, and bring home electronic components that will improve his inventions.
"Whatever things I've learned here, I will share it with my friends, colleagues and loved ones," he said. His incredible story, featured on THNKR’s Prodigies series, has already racked up more than 3.1 million views.