Fifth-grader's door handle invention wins top prize at national student science competition

- 299 students honored at National Student Science Invention Competition

- Park Ha-eul of Daehyeon Elementary wins presidential award for door handle design

A person opens a door while carrying a delivery box (AI-generated image)

"I was carrying heavy delivery boxes in both hands and trying to open the door. To keep it from closing, I had to press down the door stopper with my foot. But for elderly people or wheelchair users, even that simple motion is not easy."

A fifth-grade student noticed this everyday inconvenience and developed a device that holds a door open simply by turning the handle.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Science Museum announced Friday that Park Ha-eul, a fifth-grader at Daehyeon Elementary School in Ulsan, had been selected as the presidential award winner at the 47th National Student Science Invention Competition. The prime minister's award went to Hwang Hyeon-seong, a third-year student at Daejeon Jijok Middle School.

Park's presidential award entry is titled "A Door Handle That Reads Your Intent — A Handle That Forgot the Foot."

The presidential award-winning entry at the 47th National Student Science Invention Competition. [Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT]

The idea came from Park's own experience helping her parents carry delivery boxes home. She found it difficult to operate the door stopper with her foot while holding a box, and realized the challenge would be even greater for elderly people or wheelchair users.

The mechanism is simple yet ingenious. Turning the handle up to about 45 degrees opens the door normally, while turning it 70 degrees or more automatically lowers a stopper at the base of the door.

The key lies in a gear-based system. When the handle is turned 70 degrees or more, a circular gear called a pinion and a linear gear called a rack convert the handle's rotational motion into vertical linear motion, activating the stopper.

The device requires no electrical components or sensors, eliminating the need for a power source. Judges also praised its simple structure, which reduces both the likelihood of malfunction and manufacturing costs.

Hwang, who received the prime minister's award, also drew inspiration from a family member's difficulty.

He was moved to act after watching his maternal grandfather, who has a physical disability, repeatedly slide forward in his wheelchair seat. In such cases, a caregiver must grip the user's upper body and pull them back, placing significant strain on the back and shoulders.

The prime minister's award-winning entry at the 47th National Student Science Invention Competition. [Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT]

Hwang adapted the conveyor belt principle used in factories for a wheelchair. He installed a rotating axle, gears and a chain beneath the seat and connected them to the rear wheels. When the wheelchair is reversed, the rotational force of the wheels travels through the chain to the seat, naturally shifting the user's posture backward.

The system corrects a user's position with minimal force, without anyone having to physically lift or pull the occupant — improving safety for wheelchair users while reducing physical strain on caregivers and nursing aides.

The judging panel, chaired by Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robotics Division, comprised 48 experts from academia, research institutions and the patent field. Entries were evaluated on creativity, inquiry, practicality, effort and economic viability.

"What stood out were works in which students identified everyday inconveniences from the perspective of society's most vulnerable and sought to solve them through creative thinking and scientific inquiry," Oh said.

The competition, which began in 1979, drew 8,856 participants from regional contests across the country this year, with 299 advancing to the national competition.

In addition to the presidential and prime minister's awards, judges selected 10 excellence prizes, 50 special prizes, 100 merit awards and 137 encouragement awards.

All 299 national competition entries will be on display at the National Science Museum's Future Technology Hall through Sept. 5. The awards ceremony will be held Oct. 7 at the museum's Science Hall.

"It was truly heartwarming to see students asking questions in their own way and working hard to find answers, even if their work wasn't perfect or polished," said Lee Eun-young, director of the National Science Museum. "I hope this experience and the challenge they took on will serve as a foundation for them to grow into wonderful scientists."

nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com