Needle Beetle
Inventor: Brandon
Invented at age: 9

He saw a problem: Brandon visited a children's hospital and saw a need for a device to help kids who were receiving injections. Kids receiving injections were often frightened. The children's anxiety made the process to administer needles more difficult for the nurses.

He had an idea: To create a device that was fun for the kids to look at and helped the medical personnel administer the injections. He came up with a squeeze device shaped like a Beetle that not only raised the vein for the doctor or nurse but also distracted the child's attention to ease the pain and fear.

He developed it: Brandon made the Needle Beetle by creating shapes out of fabric and craft supplies and adding a draw string to tie the fabric around a squeezable ball.

The idea was a hit: He was featured on Discovery Kids TV Show. Winthrop University Hospital and Kids Cancer Center has their kids using them.