‘An Emotional Journey’: LSU Students Build Device to Protect Children from Hot Car Deaths
May 22, 2025
Each summer, an unbearable statistic repeats itself. On average, 37 children die in hot cars every year in the United States, about two lives lost every week during the summer months, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Over half of these heartbreaking deaths happen because a caregiver simply forgets their child is still in the car.
Now, three LSU engineering students are turning tragedy into action.
Victoria Irondi of Baltimore, Maryland, Nnamdi Dike of Lagos, Nigeria, and Trevor Perrault of New Roads, Louisiana, have designed a smart alert system that could help stop these preventable deaths. Their engineering capstone project, while a requirement for graduation, has transformed into something far more meaningful: a device that could save lives.
“Our project is a smart infant car seat alert system that uses weight and proximity sensors to detect when a child is left unattended in a car. If the caregiver moves too far away while the child is still present, the system sounds an alarm and sends a Bluetooth alert to a separate fob device, with the option to expand into additional notifications,” said Irondi, an electrical engineering major.
— Video by Elizabeth Perez
“After learning about the families affected by these incidents, we felt a deep responsibility to develop a solution that could help prevent such tragedies and protect vulnerable lives,” said Perrault, an electrical engineering major.
The team held regular meetings, shared code, built prototypes together, and constantly iterated based on testing results. The idea came from the project’s sponsor, David Jenks, whose close family friends tragically lost their baby last summer.
“This project has the potential to save lives by offering a simple, cost-effective safety measure for families. It brings awareness to an often-overlooked issue and can serve as a foundational product for improving child passenger safety in everyday vehicles.”
— Nnamdi Dike, LSU mechanical engineering May 2025 graduate
After they receive their diplomas on May 16, the team plans to refine the prototype by improving sensor reliability, minimizing power consumption, and shrinking the design for easier integration into commercial car seats.
– Photo by Eddy Perez
“We’d also like to explore mass production partnerships or pitch the concept to companies focused on child safety products,” Irondi said. “Our device is a practical, affordable tool that can make a difference in everyday lives. The capstone initiative demonstrates how student innovation can translate into real-world solutions, giving future engineers hands-on experience while addressing important societal needs.”
The students said the project also impacted them on a deeper level.
“This project was not just an academic project or challenge; it was a personal and emotional journey,” Dike said.
“We’re proud to have created something that honors the families affected by this issue, and we are excited about the potential impact this device can have in making vehicles safer for children,” Perrault said.
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