Teen’s invention will help those with Alzheimer’s

A New York teen has invented a monitoring device to assist those living with dementia. Kenneth Shinozuka, 15, had his wander-prone grandfather in mind when he designed the sensors, which are worn on the bottom of the feet. When a person gets out of bed or begins to wander, the sensors send an alarm to a caregiver's smartphone, according to a Reuters report.

"I will never forget how deeply moved my entire family was when they first witnessed my sensor detecting Grandfather's wandering," Shinozuka said in a statement. "At that moment, I was struck by the power of technology to change lives."

Shinozuka won the $50,000 Science in Action award for the invention in a competition sponsored by Scientific American. The sensor device also was selected as one of the 15 finalists in the Google Science Fair competition, which will conclude Sept. 22.