Behind the dryer, inventor saw the light
Aberdeen resident earns national acclaim for her Illuminated Nutdriver
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HISTORY CHANNEL Above, Dan Davids, president of the History Channel USA, and Fred Allen, editor of American Heritage of Invention and Technology Magazine, present Aberdeen resident Kristin Hrabar with the award for placing in the top five of the Modern Marvels Invent Now competition. Below is Kristin Hrabar's invention, the Illuminated Nutdriver. Hrabar, 20, has two patents for the invention, which is a tool that aids work in dark, cramped places.

ABERDEEN - All things considered, Kristin Hrabar said she got what she deserved.

The 20-year-old massage therapist and professional inventor placed in the top five in the Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge, a contest that showcases inventors from across the country to see who can create a product that demonstrates the best in ingenuity and innovation. While she didn't win it all, her hard work and imagination have yielded a pair of patents and a slew of publicity for her useful and practical invention.

Hrabar's invention, the Illuminated Nutdriver, is a hand tool with a hollow handle that houses a laser pointer. It also has two LCD lamps to surround the outside of the tool with light to make working in tight, dark conditions easier and more efficient. Users can light their workspace and pinpoint the exact location of where the tool can go.

Hrabar has two patents on the tool and sells it on her Web site, www.laserdriverstore.com.

The Illuminated Nutdriver and its inventor have been the center of inventors' attention for over a decade.

When Hrabar was 9 years old, her Ravine Drive Elementary School third-grade class was assigned science fair projects. Hrabar said she was struggling to perform at the level of other children due to attention deficit disorder.

When her parents had a conference with Hrabar's teacher, Franklin Wagner, he told them how to help Hrabar come up with a science fair idea, she said.

"Just look around your house and the idea will come to her," Hrabar said her parents were told. "The light bulb will go in your head."

It was later that week, Hrabar said, when she was helping her father fix the clothes dryer that this advice paid off.

Hrabar said she was holding the flashlight for her father to see where he was working but her inability to stay focused meant she was flashing the light in her father's eyes. She said that if she did not have to hold the light, he would not be annoyed with her. Thus the Illuminated Nutdriver was born.

Hrabar used the idea for her project and eventually made it to the state finals of the Student Invention Through Education (SITE) contest where she said she garnered a special kind of praise from the judges.

"The judges told me that if I didn't apply for a patent, they would," Hrabar said.

So apply she did, and on her 11th birthday, Hrabar became a patented inventor. She was in the fourth grade.

All the while, Wagner was a huge supporter of Hrabar's endeavors. Wagner died last year, and a tree has been dedicated in his name on the grounds of Ravine Drive Elementary School, Hrabar said.

Hrabar would modify and update her design, waiting for the point when she would be able to produce and sell her tool.

"I had to wait for science to catch up with my ideas," Hrabar said.

She said that a plastic strong enough to serve as the handle had not been developed for mass production and that the laser pointer she needed was not there either. She would eventually gain a second patent for the pointer in 2001.

It was in an inventors magazine that her father saw an ad for the Invent Now Challenge. Hrabar entered and was chosen to be one of 25 semi-finalists.

The 25 inventors were sent to New York City for a trade show so judges and industry professionals could view the inventions. The show was held in the main terminal of Grand Central Station, the famous mural of the night sky looking down on the fledgling inventors. It was Hrabar's first time in Grand Central.

Before the trade show, the five finalists were notified of their standing and instructed not to discuss it. Hrabar knew she was a finalist but did not know who would win.

The five finalists were judged by a panel of professionals including Steve Wozniak, the inventor of the personal computer and co-founder of Apple, who took a liking to Hrabar's invention. He told her this was one of his favorites because it had the laser in it, and he was a fan of lasers.

Hrabar said the media blitz was astounding. She cited 30 different media groups including "Time" and "People" magazines. She welcomed the attention not because she wanted to win, but because it would help her product.

"It's not whether I win or lose," Hrabar said. "It's how I got my tool out there."

The History Channel created segments about the five finalists and their inventions and aired them during "Modern Marvels: Great Inventions Week."

Hrabar said it was exciting to see herself on television.

"It was really cool seeing myself on TV," Hrabar said. "I told my family and friends and they told their family and friends. I had a thousand people watching me."

Hrabar didn't win but that is all right with her. The grand prize winner won $25,000 to build the invention. It is money Hrabar said she didn't need. She has 10,000 Illuminated Nutdrivers "sitting somewhere" ready to be sold. She is simply waiting for licensing.

Hrabar's accomplishments have come full circle. She is once again sitting on the cusp of a great opportunity.

As for the experience, Hrabar said it has "been amazing."

"Every time it slows down," Hrabar said, "all of a sudden some amazing opportunity happens."