Canadian student creates low-cost painting aid for cerebral palsy, now sold worldwide

Lianna Genovese, a biomedical and mechanical engineering student at McMaster University, was moved by a peer with cerebral palsy who had lost the ability to paint. She created "Guided Hands," initially assembled from straws, pipe cleaners and a sponge, to let users employ shoulder and arm movements to guide a brush or stylus. Collaboration with the original user and feedback from occupational therapists and neurologists shaped the device, eventually adding linear axes and bearings that mimic a 3D printer’s motion.

By 2021 she had interacted with more than 150 patients, and by 2023 over 525 therapists and specialists contributed to its evolution. Winning the Canadian stage of the James Dyson Award in 2021 helped fund further development, and she launched ImaginAble Solutions in 2019 to commercialize the aid, with production based in Hamilton, Ontario. The product now reaches more than 25 countries and has garnered recognition such as a Forbes 30 Under 30 listing and the 2024 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for advancing disability inclusion.