Girl Scouts impress Obama with Lego device meant to help paralyzed, arthritic patients read books

Five Girl Scouts who made a Lego device that automatically turns pages of books wowed President Obama Monday at the White House's annual Science Fair.

The 6-year old "Super-Girls," wearing capes over their uniforms, were the youngest of 35 winners showing inventions at the fair, in its fifth year.

Their contraption aims to help paralyzed or arthritic patients read books.

The President asked the girls, from Tulsa, Okla., if the page-turner could slow down or speed up.

No, said the inventors. "It's a prototype,” one explained.

The remark amused Obama, who asked how the group thought of the idea.

"We had a brainstorming session," a girl replied.

"Have you ever had a brainstorming session yourself?" one of the inventors asked the President.

"I have had a brainstorming session, but I didn't come up with anything this good," Obama said. "So you guys are already better brainstormers than I am."

"What did you come up with?" asked another super-girl.

"I came up with things like, you know, health care," the President said. ""It turned out okay, but it started off with some prototypes."

He then joined the five girls for a group hug.

Obama used the event to highlight private-sector efforts to encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math. He announced more than $240 million in pledges to boost the study of those fields, known as STEM.

Obama said the fair is among the annual White House events he most enjoys.

"Every year I walk out smarter than when I walked in," Obama said.

“The robots I see keep getting smarter every year,” he said. “We are keeping an eye on that, by the way. You're on notice, Skynet."

Attendees at the fair included the heads of NASA and the Patent and Trademark Office, as well as New York Giants’ wide receiver Victor Cruz.

"Now, Victor has been here before to celebrate the New York Giants winning the Super Bowl," Obama said. "But as I've said many times before, we've got to celebrate the winners of our science fairs as much as we celebrate the winners of football or basketball or other athletic competitions, because young scientists, mathematicians, engineers, they're critical to our future."