Inventor's Congress doesn't disappoint

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

REDWOOD FALLS -- Speaking in his slow, southern drawl, Fred Roberts will tell you how his linear, 2-cycle concept engine will outperform any current 2 or 4-cycle engine around.

Roberts -- of Clarksville, Tenn. -- is easy to find, just outside the front door of the massive Redwood Area Community Center and Fieldhouse at the 46th Annual Minnesota Inventor's Congress that ends Sunday.

Robert said his concept engine has twice the power of a 4-cycle engine but weighs half as much, emits very little pollution, is very economical, long-lasting and can burn alcohol, ethanol, biodiesel, cooking oil or gasoline.

Using recirculating oil, the engine meets stringent 2006 EPA emission standards that will cut engine pollution by 75 percent of what they are now. Roberts has nine versions of the engine that could be designed for 2 to 16 cylinders.

"It doesn't waste fuel," Robert said. "If no more than two cylinders are needed, they stop operating."

There is no mixing oil with fuel in Roberts' engine as is done in most 2-cycle engines. Engine oil never has to be changed, it costs about half as much and is twice as economical as a conventional engine, Roberts said.

There is something for just about everyone at the 60-exhibit MIC that allows inventors to market their products and attend seminars on how to turn ideas into reality:

* Ten-year-old Ashley Nero of Brooten will show her the quick-change, plastic skis she designed for her scooter.

* You can taste test Karen and Doug Henning's potato salad and pasta dressing made with soybean oil and distilled vinegar.

* Small engine builder Neal James of Elk River will show you his collection of water-cooled motors. He's got a tiny engine he'll hold in his hand that spins a wheel with energy from his body heat.

* Deloris Gray Wood's kissing shield has appeared on Jay Leno's Tonight Show and many other places. It is designed to prevent the spread of diseases from casual kissing. It protects the lips, tongue, mouth, chin and cheeks.

* Therapy showers with 2, 3 or 4 adjustable heads that don't require additional plumbing.

* A Rochester engineer who designed a sludge prevention control valve that can be installed to branch water mains between two street water mains. Karim Esmailzadeh said the device will prevent sludge from reaching water users and reduce bacteria, fungus and other health hazardous material in water systems.

* A dog deck made of aluminum piping, styrofoam and a large plastic box.

* A hands-free boot cleaner created from scrubbing brushes.

* A bicycle theft alarm that works off a tire's air valve. When the alarm is locked, a tire will deflate in 10 seconds while an alarm sounds.

* Other inventions include a computer chair armrest, grain leveler, mini-flush water saver, a battery-operated power garden cultivator, bolt cleaning attachment, mall shopper's strap, pen warmer, 3-point hitch adapter plate, golf station, extend-a-horse, syringe holder and reminder, bit mitt drill accessory, a vent insulator that prevents sewer pipes from freezing, a digital, 3-D angle finder, and a flameless candle that lasts forever.

The MIC, the world's oldest annual invention convention, was created to keep young people in Redwood Falls. The only entry requirement is a working prototype.

Inventions are rated by independent judges with expertise in their respective categories. An overall winner is selected by convention attendees.

The convention continues through 5 p.m. Sunday. A Rotary-sponsored pancake breakfast will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Redwood Falls Airport. A kid's carnival begins at 11 a.m. Children's activities sponsored by the Girl Scouts Peacepipe Council begins at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit www.invent1.org, call 1-800-INVENT-1 or e-mail mic@invent1.org

MIC award results:

F. Robert Starr Award (Grand Prize) Ultimate Sportsman's Advantage (multi-use trailer), Tim Halonen, Jeff Sherman, Cokato; F. Robert Starr Award (2nd Place) 3-D Angle Finder, Lars Richter, Trinity, N.C.; Gold Medallions - Smart Cooling Fan (monitors computer CPU fan for speed changes), Steve Grenz, Donald Harter, Jamestown, N.D.; Jamit Safety Cartridge (for loaded firearms), Robert Aske, Minneapolis; Garden Power, Cletus Link, Brownsville, hand-held, battery-powered garden cultivator; Slim Gym (home gym with dual cables that folds into an armoire), Dave Clark, Minneapolis; Kids Choice (Friday), Med MInder, Ben Neuner, Minneapolis; (Saturday) Scooter Skis, Ashley Nero, Brooten.