Asuka Kamiya, 12, a sixth-grader from Jozan Elementary School in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, has been granted a patent for her can-recycling bin invention, which uses a magnet to automatically separate steel and aluminum containers.
It is rare for an elementary school student to be granted a patent. The Tokyo-based Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation believes there are fewer than 10 such students to date.
The recycling bin, made with plastic boards, measures 31 sq. cm and is 91 cm tall.