Daryn Murray's Aircraft Debris Protector warns pilots of dangerous material lying on runways before they prepare to land.
The 12-year-old from East Kilbride was inspired by the Concorde crash near Paris which was thought to have been caused by a metal strip on the runway.
The British Airport Authority (BAA) is keen to develop the idea.
The operator, which owns Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, believes it could make runways extra safe.
The detector works by using a camera attached to a remote controlled device which rolls along a small track on the side of the runway