Aiden Ballinger was born with a contracture in his right leg, rendering it immobile. At a very young age, it was decided that amputating his leg from the knee down was the best decision for his well-being.
In high school, Ballinger’s prosthesis was causing unwanted strain and discomfort, exacerbating his scoliosis-related back pain. Fortunately, three of his friends and classmates at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas — Samuel Skotnikov, Chanyoung Kim and Eeshaan Dev Prashanth — decided to put their minds together to invent a prosthesis that could improve life for Aiden and, potentially, millions of amputees like him.
The team spent nearly a year researching, prototyping and brainstorming the design of a low-cost, high-tech, non-invasive prosthesis that could be controlled by the user’s mind. They built a functional prototype using accessible electronics, custom software and precision engineering — all at a fraction of the cost of commercial devices.
“We spent a lot of time on the research, with a genuine interest in helping Aiden and the millions of amputees who struggle with this,” said Skotnikov.
In May 2025, the trio was recognized for their invention — NeuroFlex — at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, with the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations. Established in 2010, the award honors young scientists working to make an enduring difference for future generations through rigorous scientific inquiry and a passion for discovery and invention. The winners also receive $50,000 in scholarship funding.
Video credit: Society for Science
Science meets accessibility
Accessibility and affordability were top priorities for the team’s design. Costing only $1,000 per unit, the NeuroFlex is far more affordable than comparably advanced bionic transfemoral (above-knee) prostheses, some of which cost more than $100,000.
NeuroFlex uses electroencephalogram (EEG) brain signals through a specialized EEG headset to control leg movement, eliminating the need for expensive surgical implants. It interprets the user’s motor cortex signals through a hybrid machine learning framework to assess their desired movements, then triggers (via Bluetooth) a set of prosthetic motors to support them.
Kim working on the NeuroFlex prototype. Photo credit: Society for Science
The prosthesis effectively anticipates users’ movement with nearly 99% accuracy, while reducing energy expenditure by around 35% compared to conventional prostheses.
“The first time I put on the leg, I thought it was amazing,” said Ballinger. “I went to move my left leg, and then I thought about moving my right, and it moved. It worked really well.”
Honoring a visionary’s legacy
The 2025 Gordon E. Moore Award was presented at ISEF’s Grand Awards Ceremony to the three high schoolers on behalf of the Moore Foundation by former Intel Foundation President Dawn Jones. Named after Gordon Moore, cofounder of Intel in 1968 and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in 2000, the award celebrates projects that exemplify rigorous research and the potential for durable, lasting change.
“We really hope that this [achievement] will help spread the technology that we build and help get it to a lot more people.”
— Samuel Skotnikov
The NeuroFlex team joins a distinguished group of past winners, whose innovations have addressed global challenges such as microplastics in waterways and disease transmission on airplanes. They share a belief that also fueled Gordon’s legacy of innovation: that scientific inquiry and engineering — pursued with rigor, integrity and imagination — can create positive outcomes for future generations.
Inspiring future generations
Dev Prashanth, Kim and Skotnikov smile with Ballinger in his new NeuroFlex. Photo credit: Society for Science
Regeneron ISEF 2025 brought together more than 1,600 finalists from 61 countries, regions and territories, representing nearly 350 affiliated fairs. The winning projects were selected by an international committee of 665 judges.
As the lights dimmed on the Grand Awards stage, the message of the 2025 Gordon E. Moore Award winners was clear: a brighter future is made possible by pairing bold ideas with the compassion, dedication and ingenuity to see them through.
“We really hope that this [achievement] will help spread the technology that we build and help get it to a lot more people,” said Skotnikov.
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