International design award, James Dyson Award, has confirmed the three global winners – an international winner, sustainability winner and newly introduced humanitarian winner.

Each selected by Dyson founder and chief engineer, Sir James Dyson, each winner receives A$50,000 to support the next stages of their inventions.

Commenting on this year’s competition, Sir James Dyson said, “Rather than grandstanding about the problems we face, these young inventors are getting on and solving them with technology and design. It’s their passion and determination to improve the world that makes them so impressive, and I hope the award will give them a springboard to success.”

International winner

The Golden Capsule invented by Yujin Chae, Daeyeon Kim, Yeonghwan Shin and Yuan Bai was the international winner.

In response to the Turkish-Syrian earthquakes in February 2023 and an evacuation process which saw medics move through harsh environments while carrying IV packs in their hands for patients, this team of student inventors from Hongik University in Seoul designed The Golden Capsule.

A non-powered and hands-free IV device which uses elastic forces and air pressure differences rather than gravity, which means that medics in disaster zones do not have to hold up IV packs while transporting patients, and electricity is not required to control the infusion rate.

“The team has identified the limitations of existing IV injection methods, which rely on gravity and electricity, in disaster zones. The Golden Capsule offers a more practical, hands-free solution, using a pressurised bladder, which can be positioned anywhere, such as strapped to the patient’s side. This slowly deflates, pressurising the drip into the patient, leaving medics free to perform other life-saving work,” Sir James Dyson said.

On designing the winning invention, the team said, “We saw the difficulties medics and first responders faced at natural disaster sites when transporting patients with IVs, and feedback for our solution has been positive so far. Ultimately, we hope to establish this as the new standard for IV packs, not only in emergency situations, but in hospitals too.”

Humanitarian winner

The Life Chariot, invented by Piotr Tłuszcz was the humanitarian winner.

As he watched the conflict in Ukraine, the young inventor observed the challenges of medical evacuations. This inspired him to design The Life Chariot, a MEDEVAC off-road ambulance that can attach to any hook-equipped vehicle. The vehicle’s low weight and suspension makes it safer for a casualty to travel in than a car boot.

Piotr’s interest in designing trailers started with off-road trips with his family through the Balkans and Pyrenees. He spent the next 10 years and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees designing off-road and cave rescue trailers, before creating The Life Chariot.

The Life Chariot increases the evacuation capabilities of rescue teams by adding room for one injured person on a stretcher and two more seats for medics or the lightly wounded. The initial two builds have been given to the Ukrainian Medical Military Unit and the Polish Voluntary Medic Unit of Damian Duda ‘W Międzyczasie’ Foundation, having been tested in mountain trails, forests, caves and mines.

“This year the James Dyson Award gives a special humanitarian prize to Piotr, who has designed an ingenious way of recovering injured people from challenging terrain. The Life Chariot can be towed by anything – allowing medics to do their life-saving work with the resources they have at hand. It’s also brilliant to see his iterative design process continue in response to feedback from those using it on the ground,” Sir James Dyson said.

On winning the 2023 James Dyson Award, Piotr said, “I hope that The Life Chariot, with support from the James Dyson Award, will continue to save lives, whether in frontline evacuations or rescues from accidents in inaccessible places.”

Sustainability winner

E-COATING, invented by Hoi Fung Ronaldo Chan and Can Jovial Xiao was the sustainability winner.

In Hong Kong SAR, air-conditioning accounts for almost one-third (31%) of total electricity consumption. In addition, over 470,000 glass bottles end up in landfills every day.

E-COATING is an eco-friendly solution that solves two problems in one. It is created from recycled waste glass and can be applied to exterior roofs and walls to reflect the sun’s rays reducing heat absorption of buildings. This reduces the amount of electricity consumed on cooling solutions like air-conditioning and mitigates associated greenhouse gas emissions.

“Ronaldo and Jovial have come up with a clever way to turn waste into something much more valuable. E-COATING uses recycled glass to create a coating to put on exterior walls. This reflects the sun’s rays, and therefore saves a substantial proportion of the electricity needed to cool the building. It is a dual solution that is good for the environment and saves money,”Sir James Dyson said.

After speaking to Sir James Dyson, Ronaldo and Jovial said, “We invented E-COATING with a desire to help tackle the serious environmental problems our planet is facing. The prize money will allow us to further our research and development goals and start a company to take our invention to the next level.”