Many young people fill their free hours with video games, team sports, and time with friends. Ji-Hong Wu chose a different path. While in Grade 10 at Holy Trinity Catholic High School, he taught himself how to build an invention that converts hand gestures in the air into music. Today, that idea is a patented innovation. His virtual air piano has earned a Canadian patent, and he secured it without hiring a lawyer or a patent agent. Read on to discover how an imaginary keyboard, plenty of self-directed learning, and persistent curiosity turned one student’s idea into protected intellectual property.
How the imaginary keyboards become playable instruments through motion recognition
The air piano is a virtual instrument that lets a player produce piano notes using nothing but hand movements. There are no physical keys to press. Instead, the user plays across an imaginary keyboard in the air, and the program responds by turning each gesture into sound. According to the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the technology relies on coding and motion recognition to make that translation possible. Motion recognition is the ability of software to detect and interpret how a body moves, and here it is applied to something playful and creative: making music without touching an instrument. For readers curious about technology, the project shows how a single clever idea, combined with programming skills, can reimagine something as familiar as a piano keyboard.
Third place at ROBOT Fest 2025 in Michigan: The international robotics milestone before the patent
Ji-Hong’s achievement did not appear overnight. One year before the patent news, he earned third place at ROBOT Fest 2025, an international robotics competition held in Michigan, as reported by the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Placing among international competitors is a notable result for any young inventor, and it shows that his technical ability was recognised well before the patent arrived. The Ottawa Catholic School Board describes him as a Grade 10 student at Holy Trinity Catholic High School when he began teaching himself how to build the air piano. That detail matters, the skills behind the invention were not learned through a ready-made lesson plan, but through independent study and a determination to make an unusual idea work in practice.
How Ji-Hong Wu taught himself to draft patent applications without hiring a lawyer or patent agent
Building the invention was only the first challenge. After finishing his project, Ji-Hong decided to protect it with a patent, which is a legal right that stops others from making or selling an invention without permission. Rather than paying a patent lawyer or patent agent, he took on the work himself. The Ottawa Catholic School Board reports that he researched the topic extensively and taught himself how to draft a patent application and how to navigate intellectual property rules. He also had to understand the requirements of two separate government offices: the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For students and parents wondering what independent learning can look like, this is a striking example of a young person mastering a complex, adult-level process without a classroom guide.
Patent examiners and persistence: A Canadian patent secured, a United States application under review
Filing the paperwork was not the end of the process. According to the Ottawa Catholic School Board, as his applications moved through review, Ji-Hong worked directly with patent examiners, the officials who assess whether an invention meets the legal standards. He answered their questions, addressed their concerns, and refined his applications until they met the required standards. The outcome so far is impressive: he has secured a Canadian patent for his virtual air piano program, while his application in the United States is still under review. That means one chapter has concluded successfully and another remains open. The experience, the board notes, demanded patience, persistence, and a willingness to keep learning through every challenge, qualities that matter in any field, from engineering and music to business and research.
Building bridges and looking ahead: Why a patented air piano matters for Canadian high school students
The story fits neatly with this year’s focus for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, whose three-year Spiritual Theme is Open Doors, Build Bridges, Nourish New Beginnings, with the current year centred on building bridges. The board says Ji-Hong built bridges between curiosity and innovation, between an idea and a real-world application, and between classroom learning and independent discovery, showing creativity, critical thinking, communication, perseverance, and problem-solving along the way. Earning a Canadian patent is uncommon at any age, and the board points out that it is especially unusual for a high school student. Looking ahead, Holy Trinity Catholic High School Principal Cori Pinault told the Ottawa Catholic School Board that “he is already exploring new ideas and imagining what he might create next.” If the air piano is any guide, readers can expect more from this young inventor.
