Kenneth Shinozuka is a devoted grandson. He spends a lot of time with his beloved grandfather, who has Alzheimer's. The signs first started to show when Kenneth was just a young boy and have worsened with time. One of the biggest issues with Alzheimer's patients is they can easily become disoriented and often tend to wander off with little to no regard for their surroundings. After an incident where cops brought his grandfather home after finding him on the freeway, Kenneth decided to see if he could find a way to keep his grandfather safe.
He ended up inventing a device that he's calling the "Safe Wander," which is a small, lightweight pressure-sensitive button that attaches to the bottom of a patient's sock. Anytime pressure is applied, an alert is sent to a caretaker's smartphone. By putting these socks on his grandfather before bedtime every night, he was able to successfully detect 437 cases of wandering in a six-month span with no false alarms.
Video:
Kenneth Shinozuka: My simple invention, designed to keep my grandfather safe
Video:
Teen Invents Sensor to Help Alzheimers Patients - NBC News.com
He ended up inventing a device that he's calling the "Safe Wander," which is a small, lightweight pressure-sensitive button that attaches to the bottom of a patient's sock. Anytime pressure is applied, an alert is sent to a caretaker's smartphone. By putting these socks on his grandfather before bedtime every night, he was able to successfully detect 437 cases of wandering in a six-month span with no false alarms.
Video:
Kenneth Shinozuka: My simple invention, designed to keep my grandfather safe
Video:
Teen Invents Sensor to Help Alzheimers Patients - NBC News.com