


A Jersey boy was awarded a patent at 7 years old for his color-changing building blocks invention.
NJ.com reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recognized Matthew Sleman of Monroe, N.J. for his invention of plastic “aquabricks,” whose paint dries white, but turns clear when wet, unveiling a new color.
The fourth grader, who already skipped two grades in school, came up with the idea for the toy after his father, Peter Sleman, a patent attorney, offered his help in securing a patent if Matthew could produce a compelling idea.
A few days later, Matthew, who was 5 at the time, was playing with Lego blocks.
“I said, ‘Well, what would you do to these Legos to make them more interesting?” the father told the outlet. “He said, ‘What if we made them change colors?'”
Through testing different ways of coating the bricks, using special paint and water, the father-and-son team worked on the creation.
“Building on his weeks of experience and several episodes of ‘Shark Tank,’ Matthew aims to transform the way we play,” the aquabricks website explains.
The pair submitted the application for the patent in February 2022, and it was issued in May.
“Matthew’s story is among those we highlight in a Young Innovators series on our website, featuring several incredible kid and young adult inventors who are already changing the world through problem solving and innovation,” Kathi Vidal, the director of the patent office and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, told the outlet.
“We hope more young people will see these stories and realize that they, too, can be inventors. There are no age restrictions.”