Farida Cajee, Matric pupil from Hoërskool Schweizer-Reneke in the North West caught the attention of many at last year’s Eskom Expo for Young Scientists when she showcased her prosthetic invention. Cajee said the idea came to her when she had to prepare for the Expo. “The main goal of the project was to lower medical costs, as prosthetic limbs were among the most expensive medical needs in the country” she explained.
Cajee used plastic bottles to make the prosthetic hand, to be used by amputees who cannot afford expensive prosthetic hands. The prosthetic hand is connected to an electroencephalograph headset that measures brainwaves. That way, the prosthetic limb can be mind-controlled, translating brain signals into movements.
She won an award for her mind-controlled, 3-D printed prosthetic hand at the 2019 Eskom Expo for Young Scientists. A year later she scooped the second prize at the prestigious 2020 Taiwan International Science Fair (TISF) for the same invention.
