# 17-year-old develops dissolvable wireless tag to sort plastic

2026-08-15T06:46:24+00:00 | Technology | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Kevin Sun, a 17-year-old student from Andover, Massachusetts, has developed a dissolvable radio-frequency tag that works like a wireless barcode for sorting plastic. The tag, printed directly on plastic, identifies its type through radio signals, including when labels or colours make conventional sorting difficult. The Society for Science reports that Sun won the 2026 Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation and a $10,000 prize at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. His MXene-based tag remained readable for at least six weeks, then broke down with its coating during the hot alkaline washing used in recycling. The system still needs further development before wider use.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/meet-kevin-sun-the-17-year-old-massachusetts-student-who-built-a-dissolvable-wireless-tag-to-help-recycling-plants-sort-plastic/articleshow/133256628.cms>

Tags: Kevin Sun, Massachusetts, Regeneron ISEF, Society for Science
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