The Michelson Intellectual Property Institute was proud to serve as a judge and sponsor of the 2026 Los Angeles Science and Engineering Fair. During the fair, we presented the annual Michelson Young Inventors Award, which recognizes exceptional young innovators whose curiosity, creativity, and technical skill demonstrate the power of invention to solve real-world challenges. This year’s award was presented to Ariana Hosseini for her innovative biomedical device designed to improve at-home edema detection and monitoring.

Inspired by her volunteer experience at Huntington Hospital’s Mother Baby Unit and Family Birthing Center, Ariana set out to explore how medical devices can improve patient care and accessibility. Through months of independent research, experimentation, coding, and circuit-building, she developed a low-cost device that uses infrared light and absorption data to estimate fluid buildup beneath the skin, offering a more accessible alternative to traditional edema testing methods.

Ariana’s project was driven by a desire to improve healthcare accessibility for elderly patients. 

“After seeing my older family members struggle with frequent doctor visits, inaccurate results, and medical costs, I wanted to ensure that the device I created, no matter what the purpose, would be easy to administer at home, low-cost, and also more accurate than existing procedures,” Ariana said. 

She hopes her invention could eventually help patients and physicians better monitor edema, while reducing stress and barriers to care.

Looking ahead, Ariana plans to continue refining the device by adding features, such as wireless functionality, pressure sensors, and expanded patient testing. She also hopes to pursue a provisional patent as part of the next phase of development. “Not only does this protect my intellectual property, but the patent filing process is something I’ve never done before and will be an interesting learning experience,” she said. 

Winning the award was “extremely validating” for Ariana, who admitted she did not have high expectations going into the fair. “When I saw that I won the Michelson Young Inventor Award, it gave me a sense of accomplishment and reassurance, and has motivated me to continue putting myself out there, even if it means stepping outside my comfort zone.” 

We congratulate Ariana on this achievement and look forward to seeing where her passion for biomedical engineering and innovation takes her next.

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About Michelson IP

The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, an initiative of the Michelson 20MM Foundation, provides access to empowering IP education for budding inventors and entrepreneurs. Michelson 20MM was founded thanks to the generous support of renowned spinal surgeon Dr. Gary K. Michelson and Alya Michelson. To learn more, visit 20mm.org.