Technology

San Diego Student Wins $25,000 Prize for Low‑Cost Wearable Stethoscope

By TOI Science Desk

Kayley Xu, a Year 12 student from San Diego, won the $25,000 grand prize in the Mott Million Dollar Challenge for her invention, Aucura, a wearable stethoscope aimed at improving respiratory diagnostics. The device captures and analyzes body sounds to help identify breathing‑related problems. Xu hopes to make the technology affordable enough to reach rural communities and underfunded clinics where medical equipment is limited. She told the Mott Foundation that experiences like this are formative for young people deciding their future paths.

The idea for Aucura emerged a few months after Xu recovered from pneumonia. She noted that while auscultation has been practiced for over 200 years, the traditional stethoscope has changed little, motivating her to advance the technology. Initially she attempted a software‑only solution, but hardware limitations forced her to develop a sturdier chest piece. Once the hardware was ready, she focused on software to interpret sounds into usable information for doctors.

During development, Xu consulted professionals, including a pediatric physician who reviewed her chest‑piece designs and provided early validation. Testing the device on live patients proved difficult, so Xu created a human torso model from foamed gelatin in her kitchen. She mixed gelatin powder and water, whipped the mixture, and molded it into a torso shape, adjusting ratios to match sound travel speeds in real tissue. Multiple attempts and failures taught her valuable lessons, which she highlighted when judges asked about entrepreneurial traits.

Digital stethoscopes on the market can cost hundreds of dollars, whereas Xu’s design is low‑cost. The flexible circuit board can be produced in bulk for about one dollar, making it especially suitable for clinics with limited budgets. Xu hopes Aucura will become a standard tool in rural and underfunded areas, expanding access to digital auscultation technology.

After winning the prize, Xu plans to study a STEM subject at university, focusing on electrical and biomedical engineering. She intends to continue developing Aucura for market release, with the long‑term goal of making it ubiquitous as a new standard in auscultation technology.