Imran Allarakhia Wins Gold Medal and Multiple National Awards at the Canada-Wide Science and Engineering Fair

Imran Allarakhia achieved outstanding success at the 2026 Canada-Wide Science and Engineering Fair (CWSF), earning the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF) delegation's only Gold Medal, as well as a Challenge Award for the top project in his category and the prestigious Youth Can Innovate Award.

His award-winning project, CareBotix II, addresses one of the world's most pressing challenges: the growing caregiving crisis. With the global population aged 60 and older expected to more than double from 1 billion in 2020 to 2.1 billion by 2050, and a projected shortage of 13.5 million caregivers, innovative solutions are urgently needed to support older adults to age safely, independently, and with dignity.

CareBotix II is a next-generation humanoid robot designed to integrate physical assistance, intelligent navigation, social interaction, and multimodal artificial intelligence within a single scalable platform. Unlike many robotics systems that focus on only one capability, CareBotix II combines manipulation, mobility, and conversational intelligence while operating on disconnected edge devices.

A distinguishing feature of the project was its human-centered design approach. Imran worked directly with older adults through interviews and iterative feedback cycles to ensure the robot was designed around real user needs. He also employed iterative prototyping across multiple robotics platforms XLeRobot (for manipulation) and the custom designed Scout (for navigation included in figure 1) before integrating the various subsystems into the final CareBotix II architecture.

Figure 1: CareBotix II and the Scout - Building a Platform Agnostic Robotic System

The resulting system is a custom-built, bimanual, height-adjustable, environmentally aware, and conversational humanoid robot. Its lightweight modular structure uses 3D-printed joints and aluminum extrusions, making the platform adaptable and scalable for future development.

Human testing demonstrated strong acceptance among older adults, with CareBotix II receiving:

96–98% trust ratings

96% satisfaction with social interaction

75% of participants indicating they would welcome a humanoid robot into their home for caregiving and household support

The inspiration behind the project was deeply personal. Imran's great-grandmother experienced Alzheimer's disease and was isolated in long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her passing during that period inspired him to explore how robotics and artificial intelligence could help address loneliness, caregiving shortages, and quality of life challenges faced by older adults.

Through CareBotix II, Imran has demonstrated a new direction for humanoid robotics - moving beyond isolated functions toward fully integrated systems capable of providing holistic support. His national awards recognize not only technical excellence and innovation but also the project's potential for significant impact to improve the lives of older adults and transform the future of caregiving.

Thank you message from Imran Allarakhia: I would like to begin by acknowledging and thanking our teachers and parents. My teachers’ support for STEM has enabled student access to these wonderful regional, national, and international programs. Thank you to my parents for their caregiving over many long nights spent preparing for science fair. My heartfelt appreciation to my Team Canada mentors. Their constant guidance enabled me to achieve even more in terms of the report, board, interview, and overall preparation for science fair. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the generosity and continuous support of our sponsors, BASEF, and Youth Science Canada. The opportunities that students receive would not have been possible without your kindness. I sincerely thank you for all that you do for students across Canada. These memories have positively impacted me, building perseverance, resilience, and guiding me on my career path forward in robotics and AI.