15-Yo Teenager Invents Sock Sensor To Keep His Grandpa With Alzheimer's Safe & His Groundbreaking Invention Could Help Millions

Jun 15, 2019 by apost team

If you know someone who has Alzheimer’s or dementia, then you know that they may often wonder about aimlessly when they get confused. This is an issue for loved ones and caregivers who may constantly struggle with keeping track of their whereabouts.

Luckily, a young teen decided to invent something that could help- special socks.

Kenneth Shinozuka is a 15-year-old who resides in Irvine, California. He came up with an amazing idea after watching a loved one struggle with dementia. When he was only 4-years-old, his grandfather’s dementia symptoms started to appear - and have only gotten worse since.

The teen says that it is normal for his grandfather to wake up during the night and wander away from their home. He said that police officers have discovered him wandering about a number of times. While his aunt, his caregiver, does her best to stay vigilant, his grandfather still often manages to slip away when everyone else is asleep.

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Kenneth said the inspiration came to him in a flash one day when he happened to look at his grandfather’s feet. He thought about attaching a pressure sensor to the very bottom of his grandfather’s socks. That way, the sensors would go off if he got out of bed. That sudden pressure increase could then automatically send a signal to his aunt’s phone, alerting her to the problem.

In order to make his plans a reality, Kenneth watched all kinds of online videos and read books from the library. He experimented with a number of materials, finally settling on a thin pressure sensor. When it is attached to the bottom of the sock, it will register an increase in pressure when the person stands up or puts their feet on the floor. It then immediately sends a wireless signal to a caregiver’s smartphone.

He called his device “Safe Wonder” and tested it out on his grandfather’s socks. Since then, the socks have altered him to 437 cases of his grandfather getting out of bed. None of those were false alarms, either!

Kenneth even won a $50,000 prize for his invention. He says that he is hoping to become a neuroscientist one day and specialize in computer science. We’re pretty sure he’s going to fulfill his dreams!

You can watch his inspirational talk below:

What did you think of his invention? Would you buy it for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia? Leave us a comment and pass this along!