Carter in the classroom

Science Class Spurs Student Invention That Wins National Contest

8th Grader builds shoe cellphone charger

NBCUniversal, Inc.

School is the start of some of the best innovations out there and a student from Frisco ISD is the inventor of a new product that just may change the way we all charge our cell phones.    

Lino Marrero loves sports but is always giving his brain a workout too. Playing ball is where he got the idea for his latest invention. 

"I was at soccer practice, my mom was late and my phone was dead and I was thinking about how tired I was and I used so much energy," Marrero said.

Lino wanted to take his athletic energy and somehow channel it to his dead cell phone.

"I thought, 'energy can't be destroyed. I wonder if I can transfer it to my phone.' When I thought about all the energy I wasted in the field," said Marrero.

His science teacher at Frisco's Hunt Middle School had just taught them about renewable energy as he sat on the field with no phone, tired from all the energy playing ball, he got the idea.

"Kinetic kicks 2.0; it's a shoe generator that collects the wasted energy from walking and you can use it to power your device," Marrero said.

He perfected his idea during the winter storm when all the power went out. 

He won two awards last month in a national contest for K-12 inventors.

"This is pretty cool," he said.  "I get to help other people, and do something I love."

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