Kindling

Ayla Hutchinson saw her mother get injured while chopping wood. As a 13-year-old, she imagined that there should be a safer way to do the job. She got an idea, built a prototype, and submitted it as her science fair entry.

Her invention, simple in concept and easy to use, filled a need. "The splitter consisted of a one-piece, cast iron “safety” cage with a built-in axe blade. The shape of the safety cage allows the firewood to be hit against the blade with a blunt object, such as a hammer, ensuring that only the piece of wood will be cut."

It got enough attention that her engineer/inventor dad got another idea: it should be commercially available to the public.

from Wipo

(cont'd tomorrow)