A four-year patent application process guided by Harness IP principal Mike Doerr culminated last week with a group of local students securing a patent for their invention in a ceremony hosted by the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The East Hills Middle School Great Engineering Kids of Tomorrow – better known as the GEKOT Robotics team – officially received a patent last week for its e-scooter safety technology. The team developed its Collision Alert Technology for Scooters (CATS) anti-collision concept as part of an eighth-grade robotics project.

Doerr worked with the students and school officials to provide a comprehensive, hands-on lesson in intellectual property protection. An initial provisional application was made in 2019; a non-provisional application was submitted in 2020; and notification of the official patent was received this spring.

The students and their story have been the subject of several recent press features, including this recap in the Detroit Free Press of last week’s honorary ceremony.

Learn more about CATS and the GEKOT Robotics Team on its website.