At the start of 2024, our team stumbled upon a statistic by the University of Washington that shocked us: 25 million people die every year due to acute and chronic conditions requiring medical oxygen. This heartbreaking reality inspired us to take action as we prepared for Innova-Nation, an inter-school STEM competition where teams present innovative ideas, prototypes, and business models to a panel of judges.
The idea for OxyGen began as a joke. While brainstorming, someone suggested using photosynthesis to solve the oxygen shortage—a concept that seemed absurd at first. Yet, as we discussed it further, what started as a lighthearted comment turned into a mission to address one of the medical industry's most pressing challenges.
While researching, we found an article from the University of Waterloo about two professors who had developed a method to generate fuel using artificial photosynthesis. Their groundbreaking work inspired us to explore how we could use this process to produce medical oxygen. However, we soon realized that artificial photosynthesis comes with significant challenges. From low efficiency in converting sunlight to chemical energy to finding stable catalysts and managing complex reactions, every step seemed like an uphill battle. Replicating the precision of natural photosynthesis was especially difficult, as materials often degraded, and the process required careful integration of various components.
Despite these obstacles, we refused to give up. A breakthrough came when we came across a professor at the University of Shanghai who helped us refine the chemical equation needed to make our idea feasible. With this clarity, we began designing processes to capture reactants, catalyze reactions, and separate products. Slowly, the pieces started to come together, and our prototype began taking shape.
After months of hard work, OxyGen earned us 1st place at the Innova-Nation Finals. This achievement wasn’t just about winning—it was proof that perseverance and teamwork could turn an audacious idea into reality. Now, we’re gearing up for the Conrad Challenge, ready to take OxyGen to the next level and make an even greater impact.
