Remote learning can be a stressful experience, but 15-year-old Maxwell Mamishev has come to love it, if only because it has given him more time to focus on the things he likes to do and build.

A junior inventor of sorts, Max has had a hand in a few interesting projects over the last couple years, including the winning entry in the “Inventions We Love” segment of the 2019 GeekWire Summit. Now he’s joined friends to create a new device which helps remind people to socially distance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the 2020 Summit wrapping up a virtual run this week, we featured several more inventions from Pacific Northwest companies — and found a good reason to catch up with Max. A freshman at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School, Max is GeekWire’s Junior Geek of the Month for October. The monthly honor, presented by Northern Trust, recognizes talented young innovators, creators and entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest.

Calling himself a “tech savvy tech nerd,” Max said taking on high school virtually has been a “pretty good experience.” Having a grasp of digital technologies makes him a good helper for less-techie teachers who need direction using certain websites or opening documents, etc.

Tech and tinkering are a longtime part of Max’s home experience as well. His dad Alex Mamishev is an electrical engineer and professor at the University of Washington and his mom Krystyna Szul was a onetime patent portfolio manager for CoMotion at UW.

Max’s latest invention, alongside friends Anthony Zhang, Vincent Zhang, Antony Abramenko and Jaden Fann, is called the Social Distancing Reminder, and is billed as a “personal dangerous proximity warning unit.” The small object can be attached to clothing and its sensors detect 6 feet out to warn a user if anything comes within that range.

“It actually works,” Max said of the SDR, which can emit a sound, vibration or different colored lights. “It’s all around an extra safety measure. We put a lot of effort into it, wrote a provisional patent for it and we’re trying to spread the word about it.”

The team is selling the device on Amazon and a website for GQ Electronics. They’re also considering entering a competition.

Maxwell Mamishev, top right, works with friends on the Social Distancing Reminder. (Photo courtesy of Maxwell Mamishev)

Max’s friend Nir Pechuk helped spread the word last year at the GeekWire Summit about their kid-run company called Extentek, and their product Galina, which is a contactless way to measure material in a cup, such as hot liquid. The intent is to help visually impaired users not burn themselves or make a mess.

Max serves as chief innovations officer for Extentek and when work slowed down with that company he was looking for something to build during quarantine that could help people stay safe.

Max first got started with his unique inventions as a little kid. At age 6 he built a prototype of a tsunami-rescue floating beach chair for an early LEGO competition that had a theme around natural disasters. The idea was that the chair would shoot a person over an incoming tsunami wave, and then descend using a beach umbrella as a parachute.

“The LEGO prototype worked great, and no LEGO characters were harmed in the test phase,” Max’s father said.

Even though he likes figuring things out with gadgets and electronics, Max is not a traditional “STEM” kid at school. He’s into graphic design as an elective this year and wants to get better at Photoshop and video editing. Like lots of kids, he plays video games — “Minecraft” specifically — and he enjoys riding his bike.

“STEM in school, like science and technology, it wasn’t actually for me,” Max said. “A lot of people would think that it was, but I like to do these things outside of class, on my free time with a really good team of people that could help me deal with whatever project.”

Nominate a Junior Geek

GeekWire will feature a new Junior Geek of the Month in profiles meant to capture how they are looking to make a positive impact on the world through their geeky pursuits. In addition, they’ll receive special recognition from our project partner, Northern Trust.

Do you know an exceptional Junior Geek between the ages of 12 to 20 who is going to change the world? Submit a nomination.

Nominees must be residents of the Pacific Northwest, and parental information must be included for those nominees under the age of 18. Jr. Geeks may nominate themselves but please be sure to include your parent or guardian’s contact information.

Read about our previous Junior Geek of the Month winners.

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