A martial arts practice, a friend suddenly gasping for air, and the single item that could assist him buried inside a gear-filled bag. That was the scenario an eighth grader named Akhil Gandikota witnessed, and it lingered with him. He shared with Society for Science, “I imagined being in the same situation.” His observation was straightforward: “Searching through a fully packed backpack for a small inhaler would be highly alarming.”
*We are not medical professionals, respiratory therapists, or research scientists, and nothing here constitutes medical advice. This is a report on a student’s project and the broader research it relates to. The sole success figure associated with the device is self-reported, not independently verified, so regard it as a student’s outcome rather than clinical proof.*
What he actually created
Akhil, a student at Stoller Middle School, didn’t revolutionize the medication. He reconsidered its storage. His Emergency Wristwatch Inhaler attaches to a wristwatch or fitness tracker. The concept is straightforward: the item you need in an emergency is already secured to your arm, instead of buried at the bottom of a bag.
He developed three iterations to achieve this. By the third, he indicated a success rate close to 100 percent and was already progressing on a fourth. The project earned him the Lemelson Early Inventor Prize, a $100 award bestowed upon middle school students who identify a community issue and create a solution.
Why the wrist is the key innovation
The ingenious aspect isn’t the chemistry. It’s the placement.
An inhaler is only effective if you can access it within the crucial seconds you need it, and the backpack narrative is precisely the failure Akhil aimed to address. Securing the device on the wrist transforms “where did I leave it” into “it’s right here.”
There’s an additional reason this instinct is valid. Even when individuals locate their inhaler, many fail to use it correctly. A 2016 review in the journal CHEST collated 144 studies encompassing over 54,000 patients and discovered that only around one-third of patients employed the proper technique, a situation that hadn’t improved in four decades. That is significant, as incorrect inhaler usage means less of the medication actually reaches the lungs.
None of this demonstrates that one student’s prototype is effective. However, it clarifies why “make the device easier to access and utilize” is a genuinely beneficial aim. Asthma is prevalent among children: the CDC reports that approximately 6.5 percent of US children currently have it.
What “near 100 percent” indicates and doesn’t indicate
We’d caution against fully accepting the headline figure. A near-100-percent success rate appears conclusive, but from what we can ascertain, it arises from a middle schooler’s personal testing, with no external assessment, no clinical trial, and no patent.
What is straightforward to support is the mentality. Akhil mentioned that what resonated with him afterward was “how much research and effort was invested into the simple design,” and that he aspired to contribute to the medical field, “even without being a professional.” Winning the prize, he noted, motivated him to “enhance the inhaler’s effectiveness and improve the world.”
*If asthma or another chronic condition is part of your family’s experience, consulting a doctor or pharmacist is advisable for guidance on how to carry and utilize an inhaler properly.*