US teen designs banana leaf-inspired liner for neonatal incubators

Vedika Devarajan, a ninth-grade student at Redmond High School in Washington, has developed a biomimetic neonatal incubator liner inspired by banana leaf veins. Her project, BananaBaby, aims to reduce hospital-acquired infections in newborns by managing condensation inside incubators. The project won a third-place award of $1,200 in Materials Science at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

Devarajan created a polydimethylsiloxane mold based on the parallel venation pattern of Musa species leaves. The liner is designed to direct condensation along controlled pathways rather than letting moisture pool, potentially reducing microbial contamination. The Times of India reports that the project focuses on a low-cost approach to improve incubator safety, especially for developing countries.

BananaBaby first earned first place at the Washington State Science & Engineering Fair before qualifying for ISEF. The liner remains a student research project and would require further clinical testing before hospital use. Devarajan's design was among more than 1,700 projects from over 65 countries at the fair.