Rebecca Manzi Zoeya Khan, 8, has improved the school life of many of her divergent peers with a bracelet that allows them to communicate in a simple and immediate way
@PrimaryEngineer/YouTube
At just eight years old, Zoeya Khan has proved there is no age limit to innovation. While other children her age are playing and dreaming, Zoeya has developed a device with the potential to improve the school experience of a number of her neurodivergent peers.
Her creation is a glowing bracelet that allows children with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia to communicate in a manner that is simple and instantaneous, without the need for words. She came up with the idea when she participated in the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal competition, which aims at young students in the UK. The task was simple: “If you were an engineer, what would you invent?”
Having observed that some of her peers found it hard to express their feelings in class, Zoeya came up with a simple and usable system to help them. She conceived of a bracelet that, through a color code, would allow students to express their emotional state to teachers and peers.
How the bracelet works
The device itself is very easy to operate. The bracelet has a white dial with colored lights, which are activated by a button. Each color represents a different emotion: red for frustration, green for concentration, and blue for the need to take a break.
This system allows teachers to directly grasp the emotional state of the students without their having to try to put their feelings into words. A brilliant idea, albeit a simple one, it could help achieve school inclusion and enhance student-teacher communication.
Thanks to the University of Sunderland support, Zoeya’s concept was turned into a working prototype. At the awards ceremony for the competition, the bracelet caused a stir, coming in third place out of over 71,000 entries.
The success of the device has opened up new possibilities for inclusive education: teachers are already imagining more advanced versions of the bracelet, perhaps with additional features to help even more students.
Zoeya’s invention illustrates how an observation- and empathy-driven idea can impact the lives of so many people. Her bracelet is not just a tech device, but a symbol of hope for a more inclusive tomorrow, where every child can be heard and understood.
