An Irish inventor has been named one of the global winners of the James Dyson Awards, the first time an Irish inventor has won the top prize since the awards began in 2006.
University of Limerick graduate Olivia Humphreys, who was the regional winner for Ireland earlier this year, won the medical devices category with a mobile scalp-cooling device for chemotherapy patients called Athena. The device is used to help prevent hair loss, but is significantly cheaper and more flexible than hospital-based devices. Because it can be used outside hospital, it reduces the time patients must spend on wards.
Ms Humphreys was inspired to create the device after witnessing her mother’s experience during cancer treatment. “The recognition from the James Dyson Award validates not just my efforts, but also the stories and insights shared by people who’ve experienced cancer treatment,” said Ms Humphreys. “My mum inspired this journey, and it’s incredibly emotional and rewarding to have my project reach this level.”
She joins postdoctoral researchers Shane Kyi Hla Win and Danial Sufiyan Bin Shaiful, who was named the global sustainability winner with the AirXeed Radiosonde, a reusable sensor for weather forecasting.
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Both winners will get €38,000 in prize money each, which will help fund further research and development of the projects.
“It’s wonderfully encouraging to see how many students have solutions to severe global problems,” said James Dyson. “Instead of sitting back and talking about it, they’re doing something about it – and that’s what the James Dyson Award encourages. We’ve got two brilliant winners this year which we’re thrilled to support, and I hope the award will give them a springboard to future success.”
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