Mexican boy invents bullet-proof backpack for science fair

In a sad sign of the times, 11-year-old Juan David Hernandez has created a “bulletproof backpack” that he says can protect kids against “everyday shootings in his city.”

Hernandez presented his project at a science fair called Expociencias, in the northern state of Tamaulipas.

The student said he designed the backpack with a bulletproof vest inside, an anti-theft alarm, a flashlight and a GPS tracker that links to his parents’ cellphones. Hernandez says kids can literally hide behind their bulletproof backpack to shield themselves from getting hit by bullets.

In recent years, Tamaulipas has become a hotbed for “narco roadblocks,” (burning vehicles left on highways to create obstacles or distract police) and street shootouts between rival drug cartels.

The violence has pushed state authorities to implement “shootout drills” in schools to protect students.

Hernandez’s backpack idea, however, is not entirely new. School shootings in the U.S. also gave birth to these bulletproof backpacks and “survival packs” for students.