Kevin Tang noticed a problem. Every year, millions of people — especially older adults — fall and get injured. Kevin decided to come up with a solution. He invented a tool to notice these falls and get help quickly. On October 14, the 13-year-old won the 3M Young Scientist challenge for his invention!
Kevin, an 8th-grader at Cedarlane Academy in Hacienda Heights, California, got the idea when his grandmother fell and hurt herself. She lay on the floor until someone discovered her, by which time she had permanent brain damage. That might have been prevented if someone had called for help sooner. Kevin decided to make a tool that would sense if someone like his grandma fell so their loved ones could be alerted right away.
The invention, called FallGuard, goes on a wall in a room. It uses video and an algorithm that senses when someone quickly goes from a standing position to lying down. The device even works in the dark! Kevin did research on different movements to train the tool. He got it to notice the difference between safe activities — like reaching down for an object or bending over to sit — and falling. He got help safely testing it on a mat. “My parents would fall in the other room,” he told News-O-Matic, “and I’d check my computer to see if it detected the fall or not.”
Kevin sent a video of his invention to the 3M Young Scientist challenge. In July, he was chosen as a finalist! During the summer of 2025, Kevin talked with a mentor from 3M named Mark Gilbertson. Kevin met Gilbertson virtually and said the 3M engineer “helped me discuss my project and some possible next steps for it.” For example, Gilbertson worked with Kevin on adding a feature to prevent falls!
In October 2025, Kevin and nine other finalists from across the United States went to 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the final event in the Young Scientist contest. The middle schoolers met each other — and got to meet the mentors in person. “It was really fun having so many people excited about science just like me around the entire time,” Kevin said.
During the two-day event, the finalists presented their inventions to the contest’s judges. On October 14, officials from 3M announced Kevin as the winner — awarding him a $25,000 cash prize and the title of America’s Top Young Scientist! “It was really exciting, and I couldn’t believe it,” Kevin said about winning. “I was shaking a lot in front of the stage when I went up, and it was just really happy and really exciting.”
This was Kevin’s first time entering the 3M challenge. But he has created other inventions, such as Homework Alarm, a website that alerts kids to missing assignments. At school, he participates in the robotics club and likes math class best. Kevin said the students at Cedarlane Academy were “very supportive” and made a poster to congratulate him on his big win!
The young inventor has advice for kids interested in making their own inventions. “When you start on a project that you really want to do,” he said, “keep trying to do your best on that project.” He added:
“Even if you make mistakes or reach blocks, you should keep trying, learn from them, and repeat over and over again until you get the thing you want.”
By Diana Richard
Updated October 24, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
Grace Maliska 2025-10-27 14:39:40
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