Jeremy Evan Blum

NEW YORK

Jeremy Evan Blum, 17, of Armonk, developed a cost-effective, intelligent control method for below-elbow prosthetic hands for his Intel Science Talent Search engineering project. Current methods of activating prosthetics use expensive, surgically implanted myoelectrodes to measure electrical activity in muscles. Jeremy, instead, used force sensors mounted in a cast around the residual arm to detect pressure and a microprocessor to activate the prosthesis based on muscle bulge. To compare the two methods he wrote a computer program and found that his force sensors are very effective at detecting muscle activation. Jeremy believes his work could lead to an inexpensive, noninvasive form of prosthetic control in the future. At Byram Hills High School, Jeremy is president of the robotics club and head layout artist for the school newspaper. He volunteers his computer skills to a nonprofit agency and has launched three successful businesses: a video production company, a computer repair business and a web design firm. Among his many awards is the Rensselaer Medal. Jeremy plans to study engineering at Cornell or MIT and own an engineering firm. He is the son of Allen Blum and Stacy Wilder.