Surrey student builds wearable that detects IV leaks before swelling
Grade 9 student, Akshat Anand, wins gold for wearable that detects IV leaks earlyPhoto credit: Surrey Schools A device built for patient safety Why his
Grade 9 student, Akshat Anand, wins gold for wearable that detects IV leaks earlyPhoto credit: Surrey Schools A device built for patient safety Why his project mattered to judges From Surrey to the national stage Why this win matters One more Surrey standout Grade 9 SAIL student Akshath Anand (left) and Grade 12 Frank Hurt Secondary student Sreya Kurup (right) with their awards at Canada-Wide Science Fair 2026.Photo credit: Surrey Schools A young innovator to watch At just 13 or 14 years old, most Grade 9 students are still getting comfortable with science fair pressure. Akshath Anand of Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning did something far bigger: he walked into the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton with a medical technology project, impressed the judges, and walked away with a gold medal.His invention, Veino – IV Safety Monitoring System, is designed to spot IV leaks before they become visible, painful or damaging. Using smart pressure sensors, the wearable device detects changes in intravenous drips and alerts nurses early, giving healthcare workers a chance to act before a patient develops swelling or bruising. For a first-time national competitor, that is an extraordinary result.Akshath’s success is also a reminder that some of the most practical ideas come from young people who notice everyday problems and ask a simple but powerful question: why isn’t there a better way to fix this?Intravenous therapy is routine in hospitals, but it is not always risk-free.
When an IV line leaks or shifts out of place, the result can be uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. Swelling, bruising and tissue irritation can happen before the problem is noticed, especially if a patient is unable to speak up quickly.That is exactly the kind of issue Akshath wanted to address. Instead of creating a flashy concept with no clear use, he focused on patient comfort, early detection and fast intervention.His wearable system is meant to work quietly in the background, continuously monitoring pressure so nurses can respond before a small issue turns into a bigger one, as per Surrey Schools.That kind of thinking is what made his project stand out at the science fair. It was not just an invention for the sake of innovation. It was a solution aimed at improving real hospital care.Science fairs are often at their best when they reward ideas that are both clever and useful. Akshath’s project fit that description perfectly. It combined engineering, health science and practical design in a way that made sense for real-world medical settings.The technology can also be used during procedures such as endoscopies, where pressure monitoring can help healthcare workers react faster and prevent avoidable discomfort. That broader application makes the project even more impressive, because it suggests the idea may have value beyond just IV drips.For a Grade 9 student to think at that level is rare. For him to build a prototype and present it on the national stage is even rarer.
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