Jun 20, 2016 3 min read

HICKORY – And then there were two.

Emily Richard and Connor Ehrgood, both 16, were the last two standing, not only among the six final schools in the second Governor’s STEM Competition, but also among their former teammates.

“Just us now. Our other members were honest about it that they didn’t have the time to move forward after our regional win,” Ehrgood said.

The duo won $2,000 scholarships May 27 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster with their invention of “SticKey,” a low-tech communications device that uses dual joysticks and color coding to help those with speech or motor difficulties to communicate through computers.

The team, originally made up of five students, designed the SticKey device as part of the competition’s challenge to help as many types of people as possible. The initial inspiration came from Ehrgood, whose grandfather couldn’t play fantasy football anymore after an injury. The first regional win in March afforded the team $750 to continue to upgrade the prototype, which is patent-pending, according to curriculum director Trish Craig. The upgrades were substantial.

“We went wireless through bluetooth, and we made several accessories, including a 3-D printed plate for wheelchair use and a ball joystick design for those who can’t use a regular joystick,” Ehrgood said.

And based on feedback from New Horizons, Health South and other health organizations, the team continues to improve the design.

“A suggestion from one of the patients from Health South was another 3-D printed plate that a patient could place their entire hand into so they wouldn’t have to worry about grabbing it,” Richard said.

The team said they approached designing SticKey specifically to be low-cost and low-tech, a direct rejection of iPads and other tablet hardware that, according to Ehrgood, is expensive, prone to breaking and distracting for users.

Their approach to design philosophy, advocacy and presenting their final product impressed not only judges, but local technology entrepreneurs. Craig said the two were offered summer internships through BoXZY, the 3-D printing shop based in Bakery Square, Pittsburgh. But there’s a bit of an ironic problem for the young engineers – logistics.

“We’re rising juniors, we’re 16 – we just can’t drive yet,” Richard said.

Southwestern Pennsylvania had a strong showing for the first two years of the competition, as South Fayette won in 2015 with their Life-Saver Walker.

This year’s winners were confident from the start, with their design, they would be in the winner’s circle.

“I don’t like to say it, but I was pretty sure as our team kept adding improvements – and especially after we made it into the final six – that we were going to get it,” Ehrgood said.

That confidence, Craig said, is partly why the two will serve as mentors next year to incoming students who want to compete in future competitions.