Just like so many other people learning to ski for the first time, third grader William LeFaivre faced a persistent challenge on the slopes: keeping his skis parallel. Frustrated by the constant swerves, tumbles, and crashes caused by crossed skis, William saw a need for a way to more easily visualize if his mechanics were correct and his skis aligned. After careful testing, iterating, and prototyping, William created Ski Sense. Ski Sense is a network of sensors attached to skis that use Bluetooth technology to provide instant guidance to skiers on their technique. A vibrator attached to the skier’s helmet and lights attached to the front of the skis—green for perfectly parallel, orange for when slight adjustments are needed, and red for when alignment is seriously off-track—give a skier real-time feedback on their mechanics, gently indicating when their form needs to be corrected.  

William encountered several challenges in his invention process. At first, he planned to use only one sensor; when he realized that wouldn’t work if the sensors weren’t in precisely the right position, he pivoted to create a network of sensors that would work together to determine the skis’ alignment. William also had to revise his earlier prototypes when snow build-up became an issue, forcing him to switch from laser and infrared sensors to proximity sensors. Ultimately, William’s persistence paid off. Ski Sense was issued U.S. Patent 11,724,168 B1 on August 15, 2023, with pro bono support from the law firm WilmerHale. 

William is passionate about creating things to help people. After Ski Sense, he began working on a set of virtual reality goggles designed to make children with sensory-processing disorders, like William’s younger brother, feel comfortable while doctors take their vital signs. "I like designing stuff, and I always wanted to invent stuff when I was younger," he said in a local news story. "This might be good practice for when I'm an adult and can make things to help people."