Innovative Minds: Anirudh Rao

STEM School Highlands Ranch | 7th grade | 12 years old

An Alternative To Electrochemical Batteries Using 4-Layer Graphene Oxide and Fiberglass Substrate

About the Idea

Meet Anirudh. Anirudh developed a moisture-powered nano-generator that provides clean, affordable electricity for health and environmental sensors in areas without reliable access to power.

Why did you enter the 3M Young Scientist Challenge?

I have entered the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for the past three years with different ideas, with the hope of finding a mentor who can help me take my ideas to the next level. Many of the inventions I have built, focus on solving problems worsened by environemtnal changes, from early tornado warning systems, wound management to icy road safety and health management.

Most recently, while developing a hydro-powered cell over the past six months, I have reached out to numerous experts just to find the right materials to prove that the technology works. Having the guidance of a dedicated 3M Mentor would accelerate my progress and help me refine the idea to a stage where universities and organizations can invest in its future applications.

I am also excited about the opportunity to expand my impact. Through workshops connecting science, history, and climate change, I have already reached over 5,000 students globally. I’ve always looked at climate change not just as a scientific issue, but a problem shaped by how we’ve historically interacted with nature. So, I began to imagine a different kind of educational outreach: one that combines science with culture and our history. With the 3M platform, I hope to inspire and engage even more young minds.

What is your favorite invention of the last 100 years, and why?

One of my favorite inventions of the last 100 years is the lithium-ion battery. It has revolutionized the way we store and use energy, making possible everything from smartphones and electric cars to large-scale renewable energy storage. I am especially inspired by it because my own inventions, such as my wound management system, early disaster warning devices, biomimetic surfaces and the current initiative on creating a cell using 4L- graphene oxide, depends heavily on efficient, sustainable power sources or no power.

The lithium-ion battery shows how one breakthrough can unlock entire industries and transform lives. I hope that my work in hydro-voltaic energy with inexpensive materials and climate-adaptive technologies can one day create similar ripple effects across health care, safety, and environmental protection.

In 15 years I hope to be...

someone who has made a global impact by shaping K-12 education, bringing environmental biology and climate change into classrooms around the world.