Irvine sixth-grader wins $25,000 invention contest

It was kids who invented Braille, the calculator and the building-block game Jenga.

How it works: Water falls down the drain, hits the blades of the water wheel, causing it to turn. That turns a connected electric generator that converts rotational energy into electrical energy. The energy can go to a wall socket or be stored in a battery.

"I think it would probably start out as a home-use thing and then be used in schools and businesses." - Peter Gluck, contest attorney/spokesperson