After Grandma’s Fall, Teen Creates a Winning Solution
A California eighth-grader has been named “America’s Top Young Scientist” and awarded a $25,000 prize for inventing a fall-detection system inspired by his grandmother’s accident. Thirteen-year-old Kevin Tang created FallGuard, a camera-based monitoring system that uses an algorithm he programmed himself to detect falls and alert caregivers. Kevin’s innovation comes after his grandmother suffered a fall that went unnoticed, leaving her with permanent brain damage, according to USA Today. Unlike wearable alert devices, such as Life Alert, FallGuard works through cameras installed around the home, removing the need for seniors to remember to wear or recharge a device.
Kevin was motivated not only by his grandmother’s accident but also by a similar incident involving a friend’s grandfather, highlighting the frequency and danger of falls among older adults. Falls are the leading cause of injury for Americans 65 and older, resulting in millions of incidents and hospitalizations each year, the CDC reports.
Developing FallGuard was a challenge. Kevin spent extensive time refining his fall-detection algorithm, particularly to ensure it could accurately detect falls at night. With guidance from his 3M Young Scientist Challenge mentor, Mark Gilbertson, he enhanced the system to track critical body positions and reliably identify falls. The device can also detect irregular movements while a person is walking, which may indicate a stroke, according to a press release.
Currently, the system costs about $90 in materials, but Kevin is working to reduce the price to $30 to keep it affordable—or even free—for those who need it. The Tang family already uses FallGuard at home, along with one other family, while more than 10 others are on a waiting list. Kevin’s father reportedly told him they would make sure the device got produced regardless of contest results, recognizing its potential to help users. Since winning the contest, Kevin has attracted additional interest, including from a security camera company, USA Today reports.
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