Your Stories: March Madness For The Mind

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) - This Friday, there's a different kind of March Madness in Washington, DC. Dozens of young inventors from colleges across the country are showcasing their inventions at the Smithsonian for March Madness for the Mind. The event is hosted by The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) and will spotlight twelve state-of-the-art innovations designed by the next generation of inventors. Here are a few of the highlights:

mPedigree: Using Cell Phones to Protect Patients from Fake Drugs in the Developing World - Dartmouth College: "I'm trying to solve the problem of counterfeit medication using cell phones. The developing world has about 30% fake drugs as estimated by the World Health Organization. So I have developed a cell phone system using simple scratch off labels where consumers can scratch off the panel, send a text message to the number beneath the panel, and get an instant response at the pharmacy saying genuine drug or fake drug. And it works with any cell phone," explains the inventor, Ashifi Gogo.

Solar Lighting Systems for Remote Rural Communities - Cooper Union: "It's a do-it-yourself solar lighting system. It's a solar lantern intended to be used by people who live in a place where they don't have power. Not only is it made from materials that are available locally, but the idea is also that people can build it with tools that they already have available," said team member Mike Gazes.

Dizziness Diagnostic Device - John Hopkins University: "What it does is it helps physicians diagnose dizziness disorders and balance disorders. What the physicians currently do to diagnose balance disorder is grab and shake your head. We built a device to automate that process," said team member, Tjensin Lie.

Real-Time, High-Accuracy 3D Imagining System - Catholic University of America: "Our prototype is a 3D, real-time imaging system that is meant to be low cost. Basically the system works by projecting a pattern onto an object. You take a camera, take several pictures of it. Run it through a computer program and it gives you a 3D image of the system," explains team member John Barnes.