Founder Talk: Jianing Li on Transforming Clinic-Grade Robotics into a National Classroom Impact

BOSTON, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroMaker STEM today outlined its plan to close the nation's looming STEM workforce gap by giving middle and high school students hands-on access to the kind of robotics once reserved for surgical suites.

Powered by a low cost, AI enabled prosthetic hand that learners can 3D print, code and redesign, the program is already in more than 300 schools across North America and expanding quickly through corporate and nonprofit sponsorships.

"In my first role at BrainRobotics, I was tweaking what felt like minor specs- reinforcing finger linkages, nudging the water resistance from IP 67 to IP 68. To me, they were incremental upgrades; to amputees, they were life changing. When patients slipped on our machine learning EMG band and effortlessly moved each finger for the first time, some of them cried," said co-founder Jianing Li, a Boston University mechanical engineering graduate who now leads the company's education initiative.

That moment convinced Li to rebuild the prosthesis for classrooms.

"We stripped the cost, kept the biomechanics- individually actuated fingers, live EMG/EEG input, and bundled more than 100 hours of curriculum from engineering skills to block coding, C++ and hands-on projects," he explained.

Reaching underserved learners

Access hinges on partnerships: PepsiCo R&D is underwriting kit donations to Title I schools such as San Miguel Academy (NY), while the Boston Public Schools and Boston Private Industry Council place kits in majority-minority classrooms and pair students with industry mentors. Rural districts receive support from Building Bridges, Inc. and the PAST Foundation, and all materials are available in English and Spanish.

Scaling impact

NeuroMaker STEM will launch a budget friendly "lite" edition later this year and establish a national "Design for Impact" league so schools from Alaska to Puerto Rico can compete annually in assistive tech challenges.

"By 2027 we aim to serve one million learners and certify 50k skilled technical workers," Li added.

Industry analysts note that U.S. employers could face a two million worker shortfall in advanced manufacturing, robotics and biotech over the next decade. NeuroMaker STEM believes while students are still in the classroom, exposing them to real world prosthetic design will help close that gap.

For the full Founder Talk interview, please see the original article: Founder Talk: Jianing Li Turns Clinic Grade Prosthetics into a Catalyst for U.S. Tech Talent  (Boston, May 4 2025).

Original Interview Article:
https://www.neuromakerstem.com/news-article-08739

SOURCE NeuroMaker STEM