Even though he is only 11 years old, Lone Tree resident Anirudh Rao is already working to make communities safer by inventing an early warning system for tornadoes. 

A student at STEM School Highlands Ranch, Rao won this year’s grand prize for the Paradigm World Challenge for his early tornado detection system, called “Revere.”

To honor Rao’s accomplishments, the Lone Tree City Council recognized Rao and presented a certificate to him during the Sept. 5 city council meeting. 

“It’s an honor to be here,” Rao said. 

Anirudh Rao, 11, spoke to the Lone Tree City Council during the Sept. 5, 2023, city council meeting about his invention of an early tornado detection …

His early tornado warning system combines infrasound, a network of autonomous drones and other environmental sensors, he said. 

“It increases the warning time from about 13 minutes to 40 minutes,” Rao said. 

Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet said the invention is both impressive and timely. 

On June 22, a tornado hit Highlands Ranch, tearing through a 6.3-mile stretch which included Rao’s school. 

In a video published by STEM School Highlands Ranch, Rao said he generally looks at problems that will worsen due to climate change. One of them is tornadoes.

He began developing the system around 2017, wanting to address the issue of a lack of sufficient warning time for residents about tornadoes. 

Rao decided to name the system Revere after Paul Revere, according to a Douglas County School District news release. 

As the grand prize winner of the Paradigm World Challenge, part of his award includes legal consultation to move forward with the patent process, per the release.

The Paradigm World Challenge receives thousands of entries from across the globe, and three finalists are selected, the school district said. These finalists are invited to a prize ceremony where the finalists present their projects and one grand prize winner is chosen. 

Looking ahead, Rao aims to do field tests and collaborate with local weather stations, as well as enhance the system with artificial intelligence to predict tornadoes before the season, according to the release. 

“We’re so proud of another amazing young person in our community achieving great things,” Millet said.