Richard Turere was an eleven-year-old boy in Kenya when one morning, upon entering the stable, he found that one of his family cows had been killed. Lion attack! Not just Richard's family, but many of their neighbors were putting up with the same problem. Some people who had lost animals to the lions wanted to kill the lions to protect their remaining cows and goats. That, however, would have brought another problem, for lions are the top tourist attraction in Kenya and are protected by law. In addition, their numbers are decreasing. Members of Richard's family took turns guarding the cows in their stable at night. Still, when everyone was asleep, lions were able to get through the fence. Richard first set up a series of torches on the fence. He knew lions were afraid of fire. What he did not know was how smart lions are. When the lions found out that no one was around, they entered the stable and attacked the cows anyway. Next, Richard set up scarecrows. They were of no use, either. He had to find a way to stop the lions before he lost another cow!

Richard observed the lions' behavior. One night, he took a torch and walked around the stable. He sensed that lions were outside in the dark, but they would not come near if they thought somebody was walking around to protect the cows. Then he had an idea―a moving torch! To lions, a moving torch could only mean that a person was holding it, which would stop them from approaching the stable. How, he thought to himself, could he make it appear that a torch was moving? After lots of trial and error, Richard finally created a system of flashing LED lights, powered by an old car battery that was charged by a solar panel. Richard set the lights up along the fence. At night, the lights could be seen from outside the stable and took turns flashing, which appeared as if people were moving around with torches. Never again did lions cross Richard's fence. Richard called his system Lion Lights. This simple and practical device did no harm to lions, so human beings, cattle, and lions were finally able to make peace with one another. Lion Lights also work for other wild animals. Richard's Lion Lights are now being used all over Kenya.

Kenneth Shinozuka was a child when a police officer brought his grandfather home. The old man had been found wandering aimlessly on the street. He did not remember when and how he had gotten there. It turned out that he had Alzheimer's, a brain disease that slowly takes away a patient's memory and ability to think. Going to middle school, Kenneth often looked after his grandfather. When his grandfather got up and started to wander, Kenneth followed him to protect him from danger. Following his grandfather, he wondered whether he could do anything more to help him. His grandfather was safe when he stayed in his room. The problem was that there was no way of knowing where his grandfather would go when he left the safety of his room.

That required that someone stay with him all the time. One night, a spark of hope crossed Kenneth's mind. When Kenneth watched as his grandfather got up and stepped down onto the floor as usual, an idea struck him. To walk, a person must first step down on their feet. If a patient's steps make loud noises, as if walking in wooden shoes, it will wake up the caregiver. But it will also wake up others who are sleeping nearby. "No, it's not practical," Kenneth thought. Was it possible to send some kind of signal only to the person you wanted to wake up? There must be some sensors for this purpose. How could the signals be received? Kenneth's thinking started to speed up.

He finally came up with a system of socks with sensors in the heels and a smartphone working as a monitor. The sensors had to be thin enough to be comfortable on the bottom of a foot. After tries with several different materials, he ended up with a film sensor operating with a small battery. Next, he studied programming to code an app that would transform a smartphone into a monitor. The system Kenneth eventually created worked as it was supposed to. When his grandfather started to walk, the sensors sent signals to the paired smartphone, raising an alarm. And then the smartphone worked as a monitor that showed his grandfather's movements. Kenneth's sensor socks were recognized at a science fair. He planned to improve the device and hand it out to Alzheimer's patients as needed. Richard and Kenneth tried to draw creative ideas from observation and turn them into reality. Richard's careful observation of lions' behavior eventually brought peace to his village. Kenneth's observation of his grandfather's wandering led to the creation of a device that helps people with Alzheimer's. If you observe your surroundings with fresh eyes, something great can happen. Try it. Who knows what might come of it?