Massachusetts eighth-grader creates seizure detection device, earns national honor
A 14-year-old girl from Andover, Massachusetts turned a personal moment into a powerful invention that could bring peace of mind to those with epilepsy and their families.
At first glance, Sarah Wang is just like any other eighth grader, busy with school, sports and friends at the Pike School in Andover. But behind the scenes, she's an inventor, working on something that could save lives.
"I love academics, I love writing, I love science, I love history, I love everything," said Wang. "I would say I'm just someone who's curious and I really want, in the future, I want to innovate."
It's that curiosity that changed everything and inspired her invention.
Grandmother had seizure
"Two years ago, I was visiting my grandparents in China and my grandmother has epilepsy," said Wang. "I didn't know that before but she had a seizure and I didn't know what was happening, I was really shocked because she was unconscious."
This moment turned into months of research, learning about epilepsy, seizure detection and why many products just don't work.
"I found that a lot of these solutions for seizure detection, either they're too expensive, they're not adjustable, they're not comfortable," said Wang. "I think I could turn Hand Band into something greater."
What is Hand Band?
So Wang built Hand Band, a wearable device that detects seizure-related hand movements and alerts caregivers in real time.
"The spring vibration sensor, first it can detect the rapid hand movements and then it turns the rapid hand movements into an electrical signal that we can continuously monitor," said Wang.
Once that signal drops below a threshold, an alarm is sent via Bluetooth to an app, alerting the caregiver to the seizure. Now on her third version, Wang's improving accuracy, shrinking the size and even looking ahead to a patent.
"Something I want to do is take this to the next level and to make this into an actual product," said Wang.
Named National STEM Champion
Wang is going to have the chance to do just that. She was just in Washington, DC as a 2025 National STEM Champion.
"I was shocked because I didn't know that this could go this far," said Wang. "I immediately told my family, I called my grandma and I'm just really grateful for this opportunity."
Surrounded by more than 100 other National STEM champions, Wang said she left with even more drive to grow her project and her passion.
"Seeing people integrate other types of STEM stuff, like chemistry and physics, biology, it's inspired me to try to learn more in different fields of science," said Wang.
At the festival, Wang wasn't just showing off a device. She was sharing a mission, one that started with her grandmother and now inspires young innovators nationwide.
"If you see a problem, if you see something happening, just think about what you can do to help the situation," said Wang.
