TED-Ed Weekend
Ashton Cofer: A plan to recycle the unrecyclable
Ashton Cofer: Mladý vynálezca a jeho plán na recyklovanie polystyrénu
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Od penových výplní balíkov po jednorazové poháre na kávu – len USA každý rok vyprodukuje 900-tisíc ton polystyrénového odpadu, ktorý sa nedá zrecyklovať. Frustrovaní týmto plytvaním zdrojov a napĺňajúcimi sa skládkami, Ashton Cofer a jeho vedeckí tím vyvinuli teplotnú úpravu, ktorá premení polystyrén na niečo užitočné. Pozrite sa na ich originálny nápad, ktorý vyhral FIRST LEGO Cenu za globálnu inováciu a Cenu vedeckých inovátorov Ameriky od Google Science Fair.
Ashton Cofer - Youth inventor
Ashton Cofer and his FIRST Robotics team won the Google Science Fair for developing a process to convert Styrofoam waste into activated carbon for purifying water. Full bio
Ashton Cofer and his FIRST Robotics team won the Google Science Fair for developing a process to convert Styrofoam waste into activated carbon for purifying water. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
It was just an ordinary Saturday.
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Bola to sobota ako každá iná.
00:15
My dad was outside mowing the lawn,
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Môj otec kosil vonku trávnik,
00:17
my mom was upstairs folding laundry,
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moja mama bola v dome a skladala prádlo,
00:19
my sister was in her room doing homework
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moja sestra si robila v izbe úlohy
00:22
and I was in the basement
playing video games.
playing video games.
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a ja som v suteréne hral videohry.
00:25
And as I came upstairs
to get something to drink,
to get something to drink,
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Išiel som si zobrať niečo na pitie
a po ceste
a po ceste
00:27
I looked out the window
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som sa pozrel z okna,
00:28
and realized that there was something
that I was supposed to be doing,
that I was supposed to be doing,
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keď som si spomenul,
na čom som mal pracovať.
na čom som mal pracovať.
Uvidel som toto.
00:32
and this is what I saw.
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00:35
No, this wasn't
my family's dinner on fire.
my family's dinner on fire.
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Nie, nehorela to naša rodinná večera.
00:39
This was my science project.
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Bol to môj vedecký projekt.
00:42
Flames were pouring out,
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Plamene zbesilo šľahali
00:43
smoke was in the air
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a cez dym som ani nevidel.
00:44
and it looked like our wooden deck
was about to catch fire.
was about to catch fire.
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Vyzeralo to, že sa chytí
aj drevená plošina.
aj drevená plošina.
00:48
I immediately started yelling.
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Okamžite som začal kričať.
Mama bola z toho celá vykoľajená,
00:50
My mom was freaking out,
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00:51
my dad ran around to put out the fire
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môj otec vybehol von zahasiť oheň
00:53
and of course my sister
started recording a Snapchat video.
started recording a Snapchat video.
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a moja sestra to samozrejme natáčala
na Snapchat video.
na Snapchat video.
00:57
(Laughter)
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(smiech)
00:59
This was just the beginning
of my team's science project.
of my team's science project.
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Bol to len začiatok vedeckého
projektu môjho tímu.
projektu môjho tímu.
01:03
My team is composed of me
and three other students
and three other students
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V tíme som ja a ďalší traja študenti,
01:06
who are here in the audience today.
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ktorí sú dnes v publiku.
01:08
We competed in FIRST LEGO League
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Zúčastnili sme sa súťaže FIRST LEGO.
01:10
which is an international
LEGO robotics competition for kids,
LEGO robotics competition for kids,
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Je to medzinárodná súťaž
LEGO robotov pre deti.
LEGO robotov pre deti.
01:13
and in addition to a robotics game,
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Okrem hrania hier
01:15
we also worked
on a separate science project,
on a separate science project,
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sme pracovali na inom vedeckom projekte,
01:18
and this was the project
that we were working on.
that we were working on.
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bol to tento projekt.
01:20
So the idea for this project all started
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Nápad sme dostali
01:22
when a few months earlier,
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pred niekoľkými mesiacmi,
01:24
a couple of my teammates
took a trip to Central America
took a trip to Central America
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keď dvaja z nás boli na dovolenke
v Strednej Amerike
v Strednej Amerike
01:27
and saw beaches littered with Styrofoam,
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a videli pláže pokryté polystyrénom
01:29
or expanded polystyrene foam.
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a polystyrénovou penou.
01:32
And when they came back
and told us about it,
and told us about it,
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Po návrate nám o tom povedali.
01:34
we really started thinking about the ways
in which we see Styrofoam every day.
in which we see Styrofoam every day.
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Začali sme si všímať, kde všade
nachádzame polystyrén.
nachádzame polystyrén.
01:37
Get a new flat-screen TV?
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Kúpiš si novú telku?
01:39
You end up with a block of Styrofoam
bigger than the TV itself.
bigger than the TV itself.
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Skončíš s blokom polystyrénu,
dvakrát takým ako samotná telka.
dvakrát takým ako samotná telka.
01:43
Drink a cup of coffee?
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Dáš si kávu?
01:44
Well, those Styrofoam coffee cups
are sure going to add up.
are sure going to add up.
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Tie umelé poháriky sa tiež počítajú.
01:47
And where do all these items go
after their one-time use?
after their one-time use?
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A kde všetky tieto predmety
po jednom použití skončia?
po jednom použití skončia?
01:51
Since there aren't any good
existing solutions for used Styrofoam,
existing solutions for used Styrofoam,
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Keďže momentálne žiadne riešenie
pre použitý polystyrén nie je,
pre použitý polystyrén nie je,
01:54
almost all of them
end up right in the landfill,
end up right in the landfill,
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skoro všetky skončia na skládke
alebo v oceánoch a na plážach.
01:57
or the oceans and beaches,
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01:58
taking over 500 years to degrade.
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Rozklad im trvá 500 rokov.
02:01
And in fact, every year, the US alone
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Každým rokom len USA
02:03
produces over two billion
pounds of Styrofoam,
pounds of Styrofoam,
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vyprodukuje vyše
900-tisíc ton polystyrénu,
900-tisíc ton polystyrénu,
02:06
filling up a staggering
25 percent of landfills.
25 percent of landfills.
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ktorý zaberá ohromujúcich
25 percent skládok.
25 percent skládok.
02:09
So why do we have these ghost
accumulations of Styrofoam waste?
accumulations of Styrofoam waste?
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Prečo teda máme takúto nevídanú
akumuláciu tohto odpadu?
akumuláciu tohto odpadu?
02:13
Why can't we just recycle them
like many plastics?
like many plastics?
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Prečo sa nemôže polystyrén recyklovať
takisto ako plast?
takisto ako plast?
02:16
Well, simply put, recycled
polystyrene is too expensive
polystyrene is too expensive
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Jednoducho povedané,
recyklovaný polystyrén je príliš drahý
recyklovaný polystyrén je príliš drahý
02:19
and potentially contaminated,
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a je potenciálne kontaminovaný.
02:21
so there is very little market demand
for Styrofoam that has to be recycled.
for Styrofoam that has to be recycled.
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Na trhu teda nie je veľký dopyt
po recyklovanom polystyréne.
po recyklovanom polystyréne.
02:25
And as a result, Styrofoam
is considered a nonrenewable material,
is considered a nonrenewable material,
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Z čoho vyplýva, že polystyrén
sa považuje za neobnoviteľný materiál,
sa považuje za neobnoviteľný materiál,
02:29
because it is neither feasible
nor viable to recycle polystyrene.
nor viable to recycle polystyrene.
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lebo jeho zrecyklovanie sa
nedá zrealizovať.
nedá zrealizovať.
02:33
And in fact, many cities across the US
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Mnoho miest v USA prijalo nariadenia
02:36
have even passed ordinances
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02:37
that simply ban the production
of many products containing polystyrene,
of many products containing polystyrene,
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o zákaze výroby viacerých produktov
obsahujúcich polystyrén.
obsahujúcich polystyrén.
02:41
which includes disposable utensils,
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Tieto zahŕňajú príbor na jedno použitie,
02:43
packing peanuts, takeout containers
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penové výplne balíkov, nádoby na jedlo
02:45
and even plastic beach toys,
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a aj plážové hračky z plastu.
02:47
all products that are very useful
in today's society.
in today's society.
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Všetko výrobky, ktoré sa v dnešnej dobe
považujú za užitočné.
považujú za užitočné.
02:50
And now France
has become the first country
has become the first country
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Francúzsko sa stalo prvou krajinou,
02:52
to completely ban all plastic utensils,
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ktorá prijala úplný zákaz plastových
02:55
cups and plates.
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príborov, pohárov a tanierov.
02:57
But what if we could keep using Styrofoam
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Čo keby sme však mohli
polystyrén naďalej používať
polystyrén naďalej používať
02:59
and keep benefiting
from its cheap, lightweight, insulating
from its cheap, lightweight, insulating
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a využívať jeho lacnosť, ľahkosť, izoláciu
03:03
and excellent packing ability,
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a skvelé baliace schopnosti,
03:05
while not having to suffer
from the repercussions
from the repercussions
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a netrpieť následkami,
keď príde na jeho likvidáciu?
keď príde na jeho likvidáciu?
03:07
of having to dispose of it?
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03:09
What if we could turn it into
something else that's actually useful?
something else that's actually useful?
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Čo keby sme ho mohli premeniť
na niečo užitočné?
na niečo užitočné?
03:12
What if we could make
the impossible possible?
the impossible possible?
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Čo keby sme mohli uskutočniť nemožné?
03:16
My team hypothesized that we could use
the carbon that's already in Styrofoam
the carbon that's already in Styrofoam
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Môj tím vytvoril hypotézu o použití uhlíka
nachádzajúceho sa v polystyréne
nachádzajúceho sa v polystyréne
03:21
to create activated carbon,
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na vytvorenie aktívneho uhlíka,
03:22
which is used in almost
every water filter today.
every water filter today.
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ktorý sa dnes používa na filtrovanie vody.
03:25
And activated carbon works
by using very small micropores
by using very small micropores
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Aktívny uhlík pracuje na
princípe mikropórov
princípe mikropórov
03:29
to filter out contaminants
from water or even air.
from water or even air.
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a filtruje znečisťujúce látky
z vody a vzduchu.
z vody a vzduchu.
03:32
So we started out
by doing a variety of heating tests,
by doing a variety of heating tests,
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Začali sme teda teplotnými testami
03:36
and unfortunately, we had many failures.
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a, nanešťastie, veľakrát sme zlyhali.
03:39
Literally, nothing worked.
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Doslova, nič nefungovalo.
03:42
Besides my dad's grill catching on fire,
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Okrem zhoreného grilu môjho otca,
03:44
most of our samples
vaporized into nothing,
vaporized into nothing,
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väčšina našich pokusov sa buď vyparila
03:47
or exploded inside expensive furnaces,
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alebo v drahej peci vybuchla
03:49
leaving a horribly sticky mess.
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a zanechala lepkavý neporiadok.
03:52
In fact, we were so saddened
by our failures that we almost gave up.
by our failures that we almost gave up.
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Skoro sme to vzdali,
takí sme boli smutní z našich zlyhaní.
takí sme boli smutní z našich zlyhaní.
03:57
So why did we keep trying
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Prečo sme neprestali skúšať
03:58
when all the adults
said it was impossible?
said it was impossible?
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i keď dospelí to považovali za nemožné?
04:01
Well, maybe it's because we're kids.
We don't know any better.
We don't know any better.
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Možno preto, že sme deti.
Čo my o tom vieme.
Čo my o tom vieme.
04:04
But the truth is, we kept trying
because we thought it was still possible.
because we thought it was still possible.
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My sme si mysleli, že je to možné,
preto sme neprestali skúšať.
preto sme neprestali skúšať.
04:08
We knew that if we were successful,
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Vedeli sme, že pri úspechu
04:10
we would be helping the environment
and making the world a better place.
and making the world a better place.
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prispejeme k zlepšeniu prostredia
na svete.
na svete.
04:13
So we kept trying
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Tak sme skúšali
04:15
and failing
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a zlyhali
04:16
and trying
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a skúšali
04:18
and failing.
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a zlyhali.
04:20
We were so ready to give up.
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Boli sme pripravení to vzdať.
04:22
But then it happened.
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Vtedy sa to konečne podarilo.
04:24
With the right temperatures,
times and chemicals,
times and chemicals,
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Za správnej teploty, času
a zmesi chemikálií
a zmesi chemikálií
04:26
we finally got that successful test result
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sa konečne výsledok testu podaril.
04:29
showing us that we had created
activated carbon from Styrofoam waste.
activated carbon from Styrofoam waste.
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Vytvorili sme aktívny uhlík
z polystyrénového odpadu.
z polystyrénového odpadu.
04:33
And at that moment,
the thing that had been impossible
the thing that had been impossible
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A v tom momente to, čo bolo nemožné,
04:35
all of a sudden wasn't.
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sa odrazu možným stalo.
04:37
It showed us that although we had
many failures at the beginning,
many failures at the beginning,
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I keď sme na začiatku zlyhávali,
04:40
we were able to persevere through them
to get the test results that we wanted.
to get the test results that we wanted.
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vydržali sme a dosiahli želaný výsledok.
04:44
And moreover, not only were we able
to create activated carbon
to create activated carbon
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Najviac sme nielen vytvorili aktívny uhlík
04:47
for purifying water,
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na filtrovanie vody,
04:48
but we were also able
to reduce Styrofoam waste,
to reduce Styrofoam waste,
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tiež sme znížili množstvo
polystyrénového odpadu.
polystyrénového odpadu.
04:51
solving two global problems
with just one solution.
with just one solution.
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V jednom riešení sme vyriešili
dva globálne problémy.
dva globálne problémy.
04:54
So from then on, we were inspired
to take our project further,
to take our project further,
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Inšpirovalo nás to ďalej,
aby sme pokračovali v projekte,
aby sme pokračovali v projekte,
04:57
performing more tests
to make it more effective
to make it more effective
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testovali efektívnosť
04:59
and testing it in real world situations.
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a testovali v reálnych situáciách.
05:01
We then proceeded to receive funding
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Dostali sme aj financie
05:03
from the NSTA's eCYBERMISSION
STEM-in-Action program
STEM-in-Action program
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od NSTAs eCYBERMISSIOM
STEM-in-Action, čo je program
STEM-in-Action, čo je program
05:06
sponsored by the US Army,
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sponzorovaný americkou armádou,
05:08
as well as FIRST Global Innovation Awards
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a tiež od Ceny za globálnu inováciu
05:10
sponsored by XPRIZE.
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sponzorovanou XPRIZE.
05:12
And we were also honored
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Boli sme tiež ocenení
05:13
with the Scientific American
Innovator Award
Innovator Award
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cenou Vedeckej inovácie Ameriky
05:16
from Google Science Fair.
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na súťaži Google Science Fair.
05:18
And using these funds, we plan
to file a full patent on our process
to file a full patent on our process
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Za tieto financie plánujeme
dať náš proces patentovať
dať náš proces patentovať
05:21
and to continue to work on our project.
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a pokračovať v práci na našom projekte.
05:24
So yes, although we started
with catching my dad's grill on fire
with catching my dad's grill on fire
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Áno, začali sme síce
s podpálením otcovho grilu
s podpálením otcovho grilu
05:28
and failing so many times
that we almost quit,
that we almost quit,
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a skoro sme to vzdali
kvôli všetkým zlyhaniam,
kvôli všetkým zlyhaniam,
05:31
it was well worth it
when we look back at it now.
when we look back at it now.
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keď sa na to pozerám teraz,
všetko sa to oplatilo.
všetko sa to oplatilo.
05:33
We took a problem
that many people said was impossible
that many people said was impossible
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Problém považovaný
za nevyriešiteľný sme vyriešili.
za nevyriešiteľný sme vyriešili.
05:36
and we made it possible,
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Vytrvali sme, i keď nič nefungovalo.
05:38
and we persevered when it looked
like nothing that we did would work.
like nothing that we did would work.
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05:41
We learned that you can't have success
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Naučili sme, že úspech
05:43
without a little,
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neexistuje bez niekoľkých
alebo aj mnohých zlyhaní.
alebo aj mnohých zlyhaní.
05:45
or a lot, of failure.
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05:47
So in the future, don't be afraid
if your grill goes up in flames,
if your grill goes up in flames,
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Nezľaknite sa, ak vám vzbĺkne gril,
05:51
because you never know
when your idea might just catch fire.
when your idea might just catch fire.
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nikdy neviete, kedy sa váš nápad chytí.
05:55
Thank you.
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Ďakujem.
05:57
(Applause)
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(potlesk)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ashton Cofer - Youth inventorAshton Cofer and his FIRST Robotics team won the Google Science Fair for developing a process to convert Styrofoam waste into activated carbon for purifying water.
Why you should listen
Ashton Cofer has several patents pending, including a method to convert polystyrene foam waste into activated carbon for purifying water. He and his teammates recently won the 2016 Google Science Fair’s Scientific American Innovator Award. Ashton has a passion for science and technology, and in addition to inventing, he also competed in FIRST LEGO League robotics and teaches robotics workshops to local area youth in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Ashton Cofer | Speaker | TED.com