Tampa teen to present his innovation using artificial intelligence at National STEM Festival in D.C.
TAMPA, Fla. - A Hillsborough County high school student is going to Washington, D.C. next month to present his innovation using artificial intelligence at the first-ever National STEM Festival.
Rudra Patel, a junior at Middleton High School in Tampa, created a device called NIMBL, which stands for Neurological Interface for Mind Body Linkage.
NIMBL uses artificial intelligence to connect a brain’s thoughts to corresponding limb movements. The device would help those with motor disabilities or suffering from paralysis, the Tampa teen told FOX 13.
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"Essentially, I could think about clenching my hand, and the computer would basically do that function for me," Patel, 17, said. "So basically, [NIMBL is] like an external nervous system if your internal one is kind of damaged."
In order to raise your hand, your brain sends signals to your spinal cord, which then tells your arm to move. For those with spinal cord damage, NIMBL helps bridge the gap between the mind and body using a wireless headset and electrodes.
It all starts with the brain thinking: "I want to raise my hand." Then the wireless headset captures those electrical signals.
"Those signals are sent to an AI algorithm that I developed, which is actually able to understand what the brain is trying to think," Patel told FOX 13.
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AI interprets those thoughts and then sends a signal to the electrodes, Patel explained.
"Depending on where you put the electrodes, those muscles would start to be activated," Patel said.
So, all your brain has to do is think about raising your hand, and this device will stimulate the muscles to do just that.
"Having yourself control yourself, like through your muscles, but you're not controlling yourself," Patel said with a smile. "It's a hard feeling to explain unless you like, actually try it."
The 17-year-old said he tested NIMBL on his sister.
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"She put the electrodes on her, and I had the headset on myself, and technically, I controlled her arm clenching, so that was really funny," Patel said.
Patel is one of 126 National STEM student champions who will be sharing their inventions at the National STEM Festival in April.
While NIMBL is not ready to be rolled out to the public just yet, Patel has high hopes it will be a game changer for those with paralysis down the line.
"I'm really proud of what I did, and I am looking forward to seeing how I can develop this further," Patel said.
Patel told FOX 13 his invention costs less than $500, but he’s working on lowering the cost.
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