Polytechnic High School is rallying behind 17-year-old Cavon Hajimiri and his invention, Hindsight, which uses technology to protect pedestrians.
For the last four years, Hajimiri has worked on creating something that alerts pedestrians of unsuspecting dangers.
The small, lightweight wearable device uses radar to warn a person of what may be coming up behind them by beeping and vibrating.
"It's kind of like eyes on the back of your head," said Hajimiri.
Hajimiri said he's experienced several close calls while going on walks.
"Where I live we don't have a lot of sidewalks, so when I went for walks, I had a lot of close calls with cars coming up from behind," he said.
Hindsight can also play audio to a person's headphones or AirPods and vibrate a user's phone to make sure they're aware of the approaching vehicle.
"A lot of the accidents that end up happening and a lot of the deaths and injuries from cars are as a result of people not being aware," Hajimiri said.
Hajimiri says the technology can also detect people or predators who may pose a danger.
"So it'll detect them from a shorter distance, but because people will move slower than cars, it provides about the same amount of time, so Hindsight provides around an average of seven seconds of early warning," he said.
Hajimiri has patented his invention. His mentors at Polytechnic High School say they're amazed by how far he's taken his idea.
"There's some serendipity involved in that, but that tenacity and having your eyes open to keep looking forward and keep making things better-it's a remarkable achievement," said Jack Prater, a math teacher at Polytechnic High.
Hajimiri's next goal is to launch a pilot program to test the device with a wider audience.
"I've had many cars over the years almost hit me, and I feel like anything to help pedestrian safety is very, very important," said Christy Hedges, a Pasadena resident.
"It's really great to be able to know that the invention is something new that can make a difference. And I think that's honestly the most rewarding part for me," Hajimiri said.