Taunton boy invents special goggles for his brother, who has autism

TAUNTON, Mass. — 11-year-old William LeFaivre is giving a big assist to his little brother, 10-year-old Tommy, who has autism.

“The invention is called VR Squared. VR Squared stands for virtual reality vitals reader,” William said.

William, who is in 5th grade, invented goggles designed to be able to play videos on the inside using Bluetooth technology. It’s meant to distract patients, like Tommy, and keep them comfortable while doctors and nurses take their vital signs.

“Knowing that he likes to watch videos a lot, I was thinking maybe if I could make a device that makes him watch a video while taking his vitals, he might not notice the vitals being taken,” William said.

>>>MORE FROM POSITIVELY MASSACHUSETTS

William entered the VR Squared in the Massachusetts Invention Convention and earned the highest score in the state for his age group. He then advanced all the way to nationals.

“It blows my mind. I’m a history person, so I don’t think like that, but we couldn’t be any more proud of him,” said mom, Leigh LeFaivre.

This isn’t William’s first invention. His mother said a few years ago William also developed special nail clippers for Tommy to help with his sensory issues.

“That was an enormous help and it was not something we never even thought of. His brother uses a weighted blanket, so Will kind of theorized what if we created something for his hand and it works,” Leigh said.

The VR Squared is a prototype and not a working model yet, but William is exploring the possibility of getting a patent for his goggles. Williams wants to attend MIT where he can continue to invent products.

If you have a Positively Massachusetts story idea, contact Boston25 anchor Chris Flanagan at PositivelyMA@Boston25.com.

©2021 Cox Media Group