Teen’s soft-robotics device for disabled

LOWELL, MS — An innovative 16-year-old Indian American high school senior in Massachusetts, in response to his grandmother’s illness, has created a device to help provide her with some relief.

Alekh Beri’s grandmother has diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage in the extremities. Seeking to help her, he and his sister Serena designed and developed a prototype of a soft-robotics assistive device in his garage.

The Westford Academy senior’s device could be used by patients as a type of individualized prosthetic, allowing them to grip objects despite their disability.

The teen has devoted more than 18 months, having produced upwards of eight prototypes. And earlier this summer, Beri filed a provisional patent, which he hopes will be finalized by next year.

Essentially, Beri’s device would use a silicon rubber base that molds to a patient’s hand. Early iterations of the prosthetic are activated with air pressure, allowing the rubber to move and grab onto surfaces.

"I wanted to be able to help these people and basically give them an extra hand they can use," he says. "There’s a lot of people who suffer from (diabetic neuropathy) and don’t get the treatment they need."

His work was showcased in the Southern New England Junior Science and Humanities Symposium competition earlier this year, and was selected as one of the 10 projects for the symposium’s national competition.