University design student claims James Dyson Award for potentially lifesaving cooler
IT’S cheap to make, easy to store, and could save a life. The Australian James Dyson Award winner looks like an Esky but could do much more.
EXCLUSIVE
A MELBOURNE university student has claimed the Australian James Dyson Award this year with an invention that could save lives in third-world countries.
Industrial design student Amy Killen, 26, claimed the design contest’s $3500 first prize for her self-cooling, cheap, fold-up medical device designed to safely deliver blood transfusions.
Ms Killen, who devised the concept for Thermalife while studying for her undergraduate degree, said she found inspiration after discovering transportation and cooling issues were a major cause of unsafe blood transfusions in poor countries.
“I was reading reports by the World Health Organisation at the time and came across a quote about how they would be supportive of creating a product for transporting blood transfusions,” she said.
“My major goal from the start was to make it affordable, ensure it would last for a very long time, and make it flat-packed so it was something that could easily by transported.”
Ms Killen has so far created low-cost prototypes to test Thermalife, which is designed to keep its contents cool using reflective solar panels and a technology called intermittent adsorption.
The portable device can also be dismantled into a flat pack for easy transportation.
Ms Killen, who is now a Monash University PhD candidate, said the prizemoney would go towards “making a full prototype” of Thermalife, which could also be used to transport vaccines to remote areas.
“The materials aren’t expensive, but the methods and manufacturing to get that prototype done may be,” she said.
Ms Killen’s invention will also be considered as part of the competition’s international award, worth $52,000 and announced on October 27.
New hope in search for MH370 mystery
A US robotics company has launched a fresh search for MH370 and two maritime experts say there’s reason for cautious hope this time for one key reason.
‘Knock it on the head’: Major tech crackdown
The tech giants that dominate our app use could face large new fines and bans on anti-competitive dominance.
Aussie’s bid to dominate music industry
Australia’s only ASX-listed music company holds plenty of ambition, taking on every element of the lucrative industry in a bid to reach 1 billion fans.