Alex Deans is a name that really doesn’t need any introducing. (Seriously, you can just look him up on Wikipedia. But please do that after you’ve finished this article.)
This second year Engineering student is a well known name for his accomplishment of inventing the iAid, a device that aims to revolutionize the eye aid industry, at the young age of 12. And through continuous modifications, the invention granted him awards at international events around the world. In 2013, he was awarded the Blackberry-sponsored Platinum Award in the intermediate category at the Canada Wide Science Fair. In 2014, he won second place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles and now has a minor planet named after him. In that same year, Alex Deans was also recognized on Maclean’s list of “Future Leaders Under 25” and by the Organization of American States. In 2015, Alex Deans was awarded the Schulich Leader Scholarship.
So what began Alex on this incredible journey? Well, he always had the spirit of an inventor.
“I started making things back in Grade 3. One time, my sister and I made paper from leaves. I was just the assistant back then and I sat on a box pressing the pulp for about 6 hours. It was really rough but it worked! And then after that, I once built an osmotic power plant that ended up flooding my entire basement.”
Then one day when he was 12, the simple act of helping a blind woman cross the street changed everything. It was then that he learned about the lack of technology available for the visually impaired, and all of a sudden he found himself with this strong desire to make a change.
“Once she made her impact on me, there [was] no going back.”
By applying how bats navigate using echolocation to his knowledge of robotics, the first prototype of iAid was born. Since then, he has worked with individuals of the Canadian Institute for the Blind to continually refine the device. Alex himself said that aside from the elderly woman that first inspired the iAid, the first man to test the device– for privacy issues, we cannot disclose his name– was the most important person that he has met on this journey.
What makes the iAid so incredible is that it’s the first of its kind. Currently, there are only two options on the market for the blind: guide canes and guide dogs. Guide canes are limited in that there’s no route-planning feature, it’ll just tell you if there’s something in the way, only detecting obstructions in one direction. And while guide dogs can offer some route planning and can help one dodge obstacles better than a cane, a typical guide dog costs $40,000 to train, doesn’t know all the destinations, and has a limited working life. iAid, therefore, revolutionizes the industry by being the first to scan the entire area versus only in one direction, and relays the information back to the user. It’s also able to route plan with the GPS capability on a user’s phone, therefore overcoming the limitations of both the cane and guide dogs. The iAid is currently awaiting patents.
Besides being an inventor and an entrepreneur, Alex is also passionate about the youth empowerment movement. He became an ambassador for the Change Agents program with RBC in 2015 and shared his story to over 160,000 youth in hopes of inspiring creativity and innovation. He then spoke alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Queen Noor of Jordan, and Demi Lovato to promote this message. “We launched Change Agents at We Day. Anybody can be a part of Change Agents. [The program] asks you to come up with a community-changing idea with milestones to meet. I’ll then come around to give feedback and try to guide you along the right path.”
There are also other initiatives he’s working with to encourage creativity, but can’t disclose just yet. “I really like to promote kids to do things beyond academics.” Speaking of beyond academics, Alex Deans is the definition of well rounded – he’s highly accomplished in the arts, playing both piano and guitar at certified levels. His canvas paintings, most notably one featuring National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl, have been featured in stadium events and on national television. He also plays multiple sports, and competed for Team Canada in the International Children’s Games in 2011 for Team Canada for ski cross and giant slalom. For recreation, he’s currently part of the Ski Club at McGill.
Alex’s other activities at McGill include being the President on the Douglas Hall Council, being a part of the Inter-Residence Council, and working with a business consulting group. Within them, he helped start Humans of McGill Residences and Humans of McGill, working with both first and second year photographers.
When asked about his end goal, something that’ll make him say, “this is it, I’ve made it,” he answered: “Seeing people use the iAid. I just want to see that I’ve made a difference.”
All images provided by interviewee.