Washington freshman designs banana-inspired liner to fight hospital infections
High school student Vedika Devarajan designed a biomimetic neonatal incubator liner inspired by the structure of banana leaves to reduce hospital-acquired infections. The project, which won an award at the 2026 Regeneron ISEF, offers a low-cost solution for medical facilities in developing regions.
Why it matters
This innovation demonstrates how biomimicry can provide affordable, effective solutions for critical healthcare challenges in resource-limited settings.
A hospital incubator is designed to give premature and vulnerable newborns a controlled environment where they can receive the care they need. But maintaining a clean environment around vulnerable newborns can be challenging, particularly in places where medical resources are limited. Vedika Devarajan, a freshman at Redmond High School in Washington, approached the problem from an unexpected direction: a banana leaf. Her project, called BananaBaby, uses the structure of Musa species leaves as inspiration for a biomimetic neonatal incubator liner designed to help prevent hospital-acquired infections. The project went on to compete at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), where Devarajan received a third-place award of $1,200 in Materials Science.
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