When Texan high schoolers Samuel Skotnikov, Changyoung Kim, and Eeshaan Prashanth found out that their friend Aiden’s prosthetic leg was uncomfortable and difficult to use, they decided to make him a better one.
And what they created has gone on to both improve Aiden’s life and win them over $50,000 in scholarships.
The team, made of 16- and 17-year-olds, started simple, measuring Aiden’s walking motion with his usual prosthetic leg.
They noticed that the prosthetic’s stiffness required the remaining part of Aiden’s leg to work much harder than his other leg, and they wanted to ease the burden.
“It started around helping our friend. He shared with us his struggle and how his current prosthetic was not really helping him out,” Skotnikov said. “That made us dive into the research of prosthetics with the whole goal of creating something better for him.”
They designed their version of a prosthetic leg, NeuroFlex, to be powered by Aiden’s brain, not his limbs.
It works by translating the wearer’s brain signals through an EEG (electroencephalography) headband. The signals tell NeuroFlex how the wearer wants to move, and the prosthetic uses its motors to support that movement.
“First, EEG signals are filtered, reducing interference. Next, IMUs [Inertial Measurement Units] detect gait cycle changes, improving adaptation,” the teen scientists wrote about their invention.
“A hybrid machine learning model extracts movement features through a spike-frequency method, classifying user intent with 98.67% accuracy. Finally, an active loop continuously refines movements, reducing energy expenditure by 35% compared to conventional prostheses.”
That means their design successfully anticipates Aiden’s movement 98% of the time.
The teens also designed an ankle with more realistic joints, which “enhance natural movement” by using motors for precise joint control.
The best part is that the NeuroFlex is much more cost-effective compared to other bionic prosthetics on the market.
“Current lower limb prostheses rely on cumbersome procedures, need risky surgery, and are prohibitively expensive. As a result, many lower-limb amputees experience unnatural gait patterns and excessive energy expenditure, leading to discomfort and long-term health complications,” the teens wrote.
Their invention costs about $1,000 to make and operate, compared to the approximate cost of $100,000 for traditional bionic prosthetics.
“NeuroFlex combines high-accuracy subconscious control, adaptive gait mechanics … offering a practical and affordable solution for the lower limb prosthetics market.”
Skotnikov, Kim, and Prashanth presented their findings at the 75th Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair by Society for Science in Columbus, Ohio.
Their invention earned them the $50,000 third-place prize in the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations category. The team also received first place in a Biomedical Engineering category of the contest and was awarded an additional $6,000.
The fair hosted more than 1,600 students from over 60 countries, making this achievement that much more exciting.
“I’m at a loss for words right now,” Skotnikov said after winning the award. “We really just want to take our project and help a lot more people than just our friend Aiden.”
“We want to spread the technology and help other people as well,” Prashanth added.
“Just do what you’re passionate about,” Skotnikov concluded. “Don’t do it just for the science fair; do it for someone that you actually, genuinely want to help.”
Header image courtesy of Society for Science
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