Tag Archives: James Dyson Awards

This electricity-free cooler is made using traditional Malaysian clay modelling techniques!

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Sometimes the ways of the past inform modern solutions better than any hi-tech, futuristic design ever could. Generally considered Malaysia’s ‘most famous secret,’ Labu Sayong is a traditional water pitcher that forms a natural cooling system through the use of ground material like earth clay. While we live in the modern world with access to units like fans and air conditioners, some have easier access to those units than others. Sustainable cooling methods like the one that comes from Labu Sayong offer insight into providing cooling systems for everyone. Kuan Weiking and Theodore Garvindeo Seah were recently recognized by The James Dyson Award group for Kuno, a sustainable, miniature refrigerator that requires zero electricity for operation.

Kuan and Seah recognized the urgency felt around keeping perishable food items cool in hot and dry climates with limited access to electricity. With over 16% of the world’s population, approximately 192 million people, without access to electricity, Kuno was designed for those in need of a cooling system requiring zero electrical power. Furthermore, Kuno was designed to help reduce our larger carbon footprint that led us to the problem of limited electricity in the first place. Designed using traditional clay-making methods and natural resources, Kuno solves modern needs through local ancient practices. Kuno’s zero-electricity cooling is achieved by utilizing double-wall potting. Sand fills the area in between the two clay pots, which is then watered in order to create a cooling effect by removing latent heat through evaporation. The sand’s cooling effect works in tandem with Kuno’s outer clay wall, which is kept porous so that it can draw additional latent heat from the inner chamber. Simply, the evaporation of water between the two pots draws heat away from the inner chamber, which stores perishable food items like fruits and vegetables. In order to keep the sand moist Kuno comes equipped with a soil planter which, when watered, distributes cool water to the sand, drawing more heat away from the inner chamber, maintaining the evaporation cycle for continued use.

The world of design draws inspiration from every corner of the globe, from science-fiction cult fantasies to fishermen’s dinghies. In a world where so many designs are possible, only a handful might feel inspired by the trouble faced by poverty-stricken communities to create better solutions. Kuan Weiking, one of the designers of Kuno, says, “As a product designer, it is important that we look to design solutions that tackle societal challenges or problems — solutions that are both practical and widely accessible.” Kuan Weiking and Theodore Garvindeo Seah began with mind-mapping to identify how they best could help improve the livelihoods of those living without electricity. Then, through temperature testing, sustainability research, and pulling building material from exclusively natural, renewable resources, this team of student designers artfully created their own proven ideation of a very possible answer for an energy-efficient cooling system.

Designers: Kuan Weiking & Theodore Garvindeo Seah

JAMES DYSON award-winning window uses crop waste to capture UV light for renewable energy

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Sustainability is the next big movement when it comes to design, it is something every industry will have to apply and one of the most interesting parts of it is material exploration – what substitutes can we use or tweaks can we make to optimize our resources for the betterment of the climate? Fossil fuels continue to account for over 81% of global energy production according to the International Energy Agency and if we continue to burn fossil fuels at the current rate, global supplies of gas and oil will deplete by 2060.

To make sure we are prepared for change, we need to focus on accessible and effective renewable alternatives (like Quantum Dots). This year’s James Dyson Award winner in the sustainability category attempts to answer their question with an innovative solar energy-harvesting window made of recycled materials. The AuREUS system uses technology created from upcycled crop waste that helps walls/windows absorb stray UV light from sunlight and convert it to clean renewable electricity – absolute genius!

Designed by Carvey Ehren Maigue of Mapua University, these panels can be crafted into windows or walls which will harvest solar energy and convert it into electricity. Three things that made me instantly fall in love with this design are 1) clean renewable energy 2) using crop waste and 3) lower electricity bills. AuRUES was inspired by the phenomenon of the aurora lights which is a whimsical natural process that occurs when luminescent particles in the upper atmosphere absorb energy from UV and gamma radiation and emit it as visible light. The panels mimic this process by embedding similar luminescent particles in resin so that when the sunlight hits the panel it absorbs the UV and produces visible light. The light is then directed towards the edges of the panel where regular photovoltaic cells collect the energy to turn it into electricity. The colors of the luminescent particles come from dyes that were made from waste crops which makes this a closed-loop system.

The current renewable energy solutions can only generate electricity in the right environmental conditions. For example, solar panels can only capture and convert visible light into renewable energy and must be facing the sun to do so. Even solar farms need to be built horizontally which takes up space that could actually be used for cultivation or other resources. By using AuREUS, it eliminates the need to have certain conditions to harness solar energy which makes it more efficient and accommodating to various spaces.

“As a farmer, I see great potential in this technology to generate clean renewable energy. AuREUS System Technology conserves space using pre-existing structures, utilizes current resources and waste streams, and supports local agricultural communities,” says James Dyson. By harvesting UV radiation AuREUS opens a gateway to increase the potential of solar energy as conventional solar cells miss that part of the spectrum.

Apart from lowering costs, mitigating climate change, and supporting local agricultural communities, these panels will also reduce people’s exposure to radiation that can cause serious diseases and help in reducing the urban carbon footprint with sustainable architecture. “I want to create a better form of renewable energy that uses the world’s natural resources, is close to people’s lives, forging achievable paths and rallying towards a sustainable and regenerative future,” says Maigue. His invention is both future-looking and problem-solving for the present.

Designer: Carvey Ehren Maigue

This Audi-inspired light therapy wearable aims to resolve your Vitamin D deficiency!

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Have you stepped outside today yet? Even to stretch your legs or check the mail? No? Neither have I. Just like many office workers around the world, I spend 90% of my time indoors. Even in a pre-pandemic world, I didn’t have many opportunities to soak up some vitamin D during my workday, especially during the winter months. Not everyone has a workspace next to a window or, with winter approaching, is willing to spend their coffee break outside. However, natural sunlight has documented health benefits, especially for easing symptoms of insomnia and depression. The Audi-inspired headlamp conceptualizes a product to fit this need, while also matching the design language of the brand.

First, let’s talk about function. How well does this headlamp address the presented problem? We don’t have any Amazon reviews to reference, but we can look at the research that informed the product’s design. The headset is lightweight and hooks around the ears like a pair of glasses. The LED lights align with the user’s temples, positioned at a specific spot where light is most easily absorbed by the brain. The headset also comes in three sizes, to accommodate the skull shapes of most adults.

As a design, the Audi Lux concept matches the Audi brand seamlessly and hence is the national runner-up of the James Dyson Award for 2020. The headset’s side view features a slanted, slightly rectangular shape, similar to the headlights on an Audi car. The product also matches the brand’s general color scheme: black and metallic gray. These elements are subtle, but help the product match Audi’s design. As a branding concept, I think the Audi Lux blends well with the Audi family. However, I’m mostly excited by its function as a mobile light therapy device, which is especially relevant at this moment, when most people are stuck inside 24/7.

Designer: Luca Urlicic

This James Dyson award-winning sleeping aid uses an OLED screen to help you destress + fall asleep

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To fall asleep at night, I imagine my bed turning into a hammock, swinging somewhere on a sandy beach. It typically does the trick, but when it doesn’t, I can usually chalk it up to my anxiety or sleep apnea. Receiving 2020’s James Dyson Award, Nocturnal, designed by Alexander Braga, is an interactive sleeping aid that specifically aims to help insomnia sufferers. With user-defined technological and personalized features, this design solution makes restful sleep possible. On this point, Braga says, “Nocturnal combines both digital and beautiful design, language and form to improve sleep quality for insomniacs as a sustainable solution for the future.”

Surrounding the bed is an OLED, a film of an organic compound, emitting light, which bridges digital solutions with the human experience. The OLED screen is the sleeping aid’s primary charm and uses rollable, flexible technology in order to envelop the top half of your body and project images from the depths of your most peaceful, relaxing imagination. By promoting the beneficial and curated use of Artificial Intelligence, stressors such as anxiety and depression can be managed. Through research and conducted interviews, Alexander Braga concluded, “Dreams have always fascinated me and I wanted to add this celestial component, in combination with beautiful aesthetics to completely change the way we as humans sleep. I had looked into current bed sizes, ergonomic considerations through interaction and resting positions, and sustainable material selections. Once I achieved a better understanding of traditional sleeping habits, I looked into accessible technology that could stimulate our senses to fall asleep and provide the user with a dreamland sensation.”

Each component of the bed and its features are made up of entirely natural materials, enhancing the design’s appeal to sustainability. Additionally, the bed frame mimics the shape of a sailboat which will only enrich the user’s imagination. While these aspects certainly augment Nocturnal’s commitment to optimal rest, the defining feature is the design’s interactive programming. Nocturnal integrates haptic sensors and voice recognition technology in order to help maintain an intimate relationship with sleep, through visual, touch, and verbal feedback. Furthering that relationship, the underlying haptic sensors, inside Nocturnal’s mattress, adjusts to your body’s distinct contour, providing you with ideal comfort levels before falling asleep. Living with anxiety himself, Braga designed Nocturnal in order to supply those of us who suffer from varying mental stressors with a good night’s rest because sleeping’s for everyone, Nocturnal makes sure of it.

Designer: Alexander Braga

The 2020 James Dyson Award-winning project helps calculate blood sugar using just your breath

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Gone are the days of having to physically prick your skin to see how much sugar there was in your blood. It’s a long, painful ritual for just a mere glimpse at the glucose level — a three-digit number. The Aerolyze replaces this invasive procedure with a system that requires simply breathing into a palm-sized inhaler.

The Aerolyze is quite literally a breath of fresh air… It offers a new, more accessible, and less apprehensive way to measure blood sugar for prediabetics in the form of an inhaler that performs breath acetone analysis to determine your blood glucose levels. Acetone is a compound released when the body burns fat, and gives prediabetics a distinct breath smell. Simply put, more acetone in your breath means your body is burning more fat… lower levels of acetone translates to higher blood glucose.

Thipok Cholsaipant came up with the idea for the Aerolyzer after seeing his father suffer from a variety of diabetes-related ailments. He soon began working out a more effective way of observing these blood glucose levels without going through the physical pain of pricking your finger everytime. Cholsaipant’s solution uses a different input – breath. “Breath analysis shows the most significant potential because it can be taken on the fly, produces no waste, and near-instant results. Plus, deep breathing is an excellent affordance for a positive experience”, says Cholsaipant. The device comes in a small, pocket-friendly avatar, with a strap that makes it easy to carry around your wrist. Just breathe into it, and an LED tells you if your sugar levels are high, optimum, or low. Rather than inundating you with accurate readings that may fluctuate based on time, the Aerolyzer presents data to you in a way that’s less scary and more actionable. Moreover, it pairs with a smartphone or smartwatch app to let you know what to do if your blood sugar levels are too low or high. Measuring your sugar levels has quite literally never been easier!

The Aerolyze is a winner of the James Dyson Award for the year 2020.

Designer: Thipok “Poom” Cholsaipant

This James Dyson Award-winning self-sanitizing door handle kills 99.8% bacteria

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Given the times that we are living in, I would much rather have a self-sanitizing handle than having to manually sanitize my handle – it can turn into an OCD spiral very quickly. Hong Kong-based students, Sum Ming Wong and Kin Pong Li are actually a step ahead on the matter and have designed a door handle that uses light to always keep itself sterilized. In 2020, this classifies as a smart object and an equivalent of someone who knows the importance of washing their hands.

The students were inspired by the SARS outbreak in the 2000s and figured that a self-sanitizing door handle is more effective than the chemical-based cleaning processes we are using right now. The handle is made of a glass tube with aluminum caps at each end and the entire handle is covered in a powdered photocatalytic coating made from a mineral called titanium dioxide. The bacteria is decomposed through a chemical reaction that is activated by UV light reacting with the thin coating on the glass tube. Powered by an internal generator, the handle converts kinetic energy from the opening/closing motion of the door into light energy and that is how the UV light is always doing its job. This germ-killing product actually destroyed 99.8% of the microbes during lab tests and that is more than what Thanos did with his infinity stones.

Other than being the hero of handles, it has a modern visual aesthetic and a sleek form. The backlight almost makes it look like a lava lamp! Imagine if it lit up in green or red to indicate whether the handle was safe to touch or not. The students were influenced by the number of people infected and killed during SARS and wanted to do something to change the picture of public health through innovative design. Given that public door handles are hotspots for bacteria, this could be a headstart in making safer infrastructure for a world that is better prepared to handle pandemics.

The self-sanitizing door handle was one of the winning entries for the James Dyson Awards 2019.

Designers: Sum Ming Wong and Kin Pong Li

These grooved cork discs act as coasters as well as air-tight container-lids

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Nominated as a finalist for the prestigious James Dyson Award, the Montados are a set of lid/coaster hybrids made from recycled cork. Its unusual grooved design (with differently spaced grooves on the front as well as back) serves a pretty neat purpose. Not only do the grooves act as a collecting rim for any liquid that spills on it, making the Montados a great set of coasters, but when placed on the top of any cylindrical container, the Montados can securely fasten around the rim with a nice, air-tight seal.

The key to this unique, useful interaction is the spacing of the ridges on the cork surface. The ridges on either side of the lids are contrary to each other, so if the lid doesn’t fit on side A, just flip the lid over, and the ridge on side B should fit just fine.

The cleverness of the Montados is also in its choice of material. These lids could easily be made out of a thermoplastic polymer or silicone, but Marlene Bruch’s choice of cork is ideal, given its flexibility, eco-friendly nature, has the ability to withstand moisture, and most importantly, is an insulator, making it perfect for hot vessels. The Montados also offers an alternative to single use plastic foil and aluminum wraps, giving it the advantage of being reusable, recyclable, and green. And oh, the lids can nest within each other too, making them lock together for convenient storage and easy shipping!

Designer: Marlene Bruch