DENVER -- It took Thomas Edison thousands of tries to get the light bulb right. Some local inventors hope perfecting their products doesn't take quite as long.

More than 40 inventors packed the Cable Center at the University of Denver Tuesday for the annual Colorado Inventor Showcase.

The only teen inventor at the convention was 15-year-old Philip Hartman from Loveland. He showed off a new windshield wiper that cleans with the power of steam.

"There should be a way that we don't need to scrape our windows when they're icy," Hartman said. He said it also eliminates the need to get out of the car and clean bugs off the windshield during a long road trip.

Hartman came up with the idea during a family vacation.

"We were talking about how dirty our windshield was and I kind of thought of it," he said.

Hartman hopes to partner with a manufacturer in a few months and bring the product to stores or auto makers.

Another popular product at the inventor showcase was the EZ Shot. It's designed to help you improve your basketball game by eliminating the need to chase after the ball.

Lakewood resident Craig Jenkins and his wife have been developing the ball return system for 12 years, but have yet to see a return on their investment.

"You look at her and you go, 'You know what? We didn't make a dime today.' It's very disheartening. So you just gotta look at it and say tomorrow's gonna change," said Jenkins.