At just 17 years old, a young prodigy attracted attention thanks to his innovative invention. Spurred on by a great passion for building objects since he was a child, Tommaso Cagliari, a student from Novara, has developed a device for the early recognition of Parkinson’s symptoms.
Tommaso’s project is called “Parkinson Detector“. The device uses two cameras placed on the sides of a room and an artificial intelligence system to monitor shoulder and elbow swing as the patient walks. The system uses artificial intelligence to recognize the human figure within a movie and calculate the position of the joints in order to accurately measure the angles of movement of the limbs. First, Tommaso has developed two softwares, one based on artificial intelligence and the other for data analysis. The inspiration was born from the desire to help his grandfather, a patient suffering from the disease, in fact, during his grandfather’s hospitalization in the clinic, Tommaso had the opportunity to collect data and information from doctors.
The device is being tested with the aim of using it in hospitals specializing in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s as an early screening of the disease. The system is non-invasive, has no clinical risks and can reduce the diagnostic time of the disease.
Last year he won the Italian competition “I giovani e le scienze” with his Parkinson Detector, winning the participation in Eucys, European Union Contest for Young Scientists, creating multiple opportunities for the future. This year he presented his invention in Rome, at the Senate at a conference at Palazzo Madama. This is just one stage of his journey that, perhaps, could one day take the form of a MedTech startup.
Parkinson Detector was not his only invention, he also developed a vehicle sensor that signals if you are driving the wrong way on the highway, using artificial intelligence to warn control centers and drivers, the project is called ContromaNO. This invention was developed in collaboration with a fellow student, Marco Zacchin.
Tommaso then developed Cuore, an artificial leaf capable of converting CO2 in the air into methanol. This project consists in the creation of a device capable of carrying out artificial photosynthesis.
As we look to the future, we hope that stories like Tommaso’s can inspire other brilliant minds to seek innovative solutions to improve our health and well-being. The combination of youthful ingenuity and advanced technology proves that the next generation of innovators can enrich our lives with solutions that are good not only for health but also for the environment.
Written by Sara Pia Votta