Alex Deans

Alexander Deans (born May 1, 1997) is a Canadian-British inventor, engineer, and physician. He became Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Youth Leader for Canada at Buckingham Palace. At age 12, he created the "iAid", a navigation device for the blind which won the Canada-Wide Science Fair in the intermediate category and several awards at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Deans was one of twelve Canadians named on Maclean's magazine's list of Future Leaders under 25. and accepted naming rights to a minor planet from MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Deans was a speaker on the WE Day North American tour for 200,000 youth alongside Nick Jonas and Queen Noor of Jordan. He speaks English and French.

In 2010, Deans competed at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Peterborough, Ontario with a project entitled "Saline Aqua Genesis. The innovation used a salt gradient solar pond to drive a generator for electricity production and distilled water for purification purposes in developing countries, but was unsuccessful at the fair.

Inventions

iAid Deans credits an encounter he had at age 12 with a visually impaired woman as his inspiration to create iAid. He noticed that she was struggling to cross the street and "asked if she needed any help and realized that she was visually impaired. I saw that she didn't have any independence and couldn't navigate well." Deans taught himself to code and aimed to mimic bat echolocation, remarking that "nature is an incredible innovator". At a competition in Charlottetown, Deans demonstrated the iBELT. The device used echolocation-like technology to map the user's environment and plan paths to destinations, directing visually-impaired users through audible feedback.

Deans' refinement of the device, which he renamed "iAid", was presented in Lethbridge in 2013. The device won Deans both the fair and funding from corporations including Youth Science Canada and BlackBerry.

iAid utilizes ultrasonic scanning capabilities to compile a map of the user's surroundings and identify obstacles up to 3.5 meters away. The device directs the user through an intuitive hand-held joystick which swivels automatically to indicate directions to destinations.

VP: Virtual Passenger/ "Call Me Out" In early 2017, Deans started working with McCann Erickson and Chevrolet to create a new technology, VP, to stop teens from texting and driving. VP (Virtual Passenger) brings celebrities and friends into the automobile via Chevrolet's existing MyLink onboard system when the driver receives a text. The system subsequently analyzes driving and texting habits. Virtual Passenger debuted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2017. The technology was renamed to "Call Me Out " prior to release in August 2018.

Recognition Deans' recognition began in early 2014 when he was one of twelve named as a "Future Leader under 25" by Maclean's magazine, described as an "elite group of young people who are outstanding in their fields." Later that year, Deans won second prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California. The iAid was named as one of the "Top 50 Ideas Worldwide for Technology in Health, Energy, and Medicine" by the Organization of American States.

iAid began exhibiting at the Ontario Science Centre in the Weston Family Innovation Centre. Deans became Royal Bank of Canada's official ambassador for its ChangeAgents program, partnering with the band Hedley to promote the project. Starting in 2015, Deans joined the WE Day stadium tour alongside Demi Lovato and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking to 200,000 youth, starting at the Scotiabank Arena. In 2017, Deans partnered with ACCO Brands and MeadWestvaco for a digital campaign with Five Star to promote creativity.

From 2018 to 2023, he has spoken publicly about developing leadership. He met with Prince Harry and John Major at 10 Downing Street around developing the next generation of leaders. and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering. He earned a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario in 2023 and entered surgical training at Dalhousie University in Ophthalmology.