PeriAssist is a new assisted-birth tool designed as a safer alternative to the existing high-risk instruments used in complex childbirths.
In difficult deliveries when labor stalls, doctors must choose from a limited toolset. Options include rigid instruments like forceps or vacuum cups, which can cause injuries, or performing a Cesarean section, which can also carry risks.
“PeriAssist uses an inflatable ring that surrounds the baby’s head. Unlike metal forceps or suction devices, the ring distributes pressure evenly, reducing the risk of skull injury or nerve damage for the baby,” CI MED student Anthony Wong explained.
Wong and teammates – CI MED students Sanskruthi "Priya" Guduri and Claire Lee, along with MBA candidate Galina Mihalkina – were inspired to create PeriAssist after seeing challenging births first-hand during clinical rotations in obstetrics. “Talking to OB/GYNs at Carle Health, we found that many said they wished for better alternatives for assisted vaginal delivery tools,” Wong said.
The prototype – developed by Illinois Bioengineering students in partnership with CI MED physician-innovators – includes an inflatable silicone ring, an integrated manual pump, and a handle, for one-handed operation.
Wong presented the team’s concept at the Falling Walls Illinois competition, where he was named Illinois Young Innovator of the Year for 2025, and competed at the international Falling Walls competition in Berlin, Germany, in November.
Both Guduri and Lee will specialize in obstetrics and gynecology (Guduri at Rutgers; Lee at Advocate Health in Chicago) while Wong will start internal medicine residency at Rutgers in July.
PeriAssist is one of the 2026 Capstone Innovations developed by CI MED students in collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams made up of engineers from The Grainger College of Engineering and MBA students from the Gies College of Business to design a solution to a health care challenge. The team includes Engineering Master’s candidateZiad Khan; bioengineering undergraduates Hannah Bartels, Zoyia Khan, Sabrina, Meziani, Suchir Baradwaj, Eileen Tseng, Henry Park, and Margaret Wei; and Gies College of Business MBA candidate Galina Mihalkina.