Young inventors shifting the face of engineering globally with their simple innovations

World-changing gadgets by young inventors changing the face of engineering globally, using simple ideas to make better our everyday products.

A Russian-made smart toothbrush testing our saliva for health issues beyond oral (made by Artemii Zenkin and Anastasia Balabanova), a non-electrical powered fridge made out of clay to keep food fresh and grow plants at the same time (Kuno by Kuan Weiking and Theodore Garvindeo Seah), an interactive yoga mat helping us to de-stress (Grounded by Arpana Murugappan), and a PET plastic recycling machine created by rePATRN – founded by Jeffrey Provencal in Accra, Ghana.

These are some of the winning innovations announced at the James Dyson Award 2020 competition, which celebrates offbeat ideas by young inventors solving real world problems.

More than 1,700 young engineers, from 27 countries, submitted ideas aimed at solving issues such as elderly challenges like mobility and healthcare, homelessness and displaced people, and natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes.

Felicity Furey, Business leader and national judge for Australia, commented that: “Ultimately, we selected finalists based on innovation and simplicity, combined with the impact it could have for people and the lives it will save.”

Here are the 81 national finalists:

Roura

A wearable that combines heat and massage to relieve menstrual pain.

Ceiling Touch

A simple design which can light up the houses of poor, who neither have access to electricity nor have any ventilation for natural lights.

Energy Harvesting Pavement Tiles

Harvesting kinetic energy from pedestrian traffic to be converted to electrical energy.

Walki

Walki enables people with visual impairments to independently and confidently grocery shop by assisting with navigation and item identification.

ALT TEX – The Future Of Sustainable Fashion

ALT TEX is creating the next generation of sustainable fabrics re-engineered from food waste, that are performance-driven, accessible and affordable.

Bead Pot

Bead temperature indicator on the pot handle for blind people. The silver bead in the middle of the pot handle moves according to the temperature of the pot.

M-PWR

Making reusable menstrual products accessible to homeless and displaced people, empowering them to deal with their period in a discreet, hygienic and user-friendly way.

Ordon

Ordon is an indoor air purification haven for children between 0-2 years of age, designed in response to the child health crisis in Mongolia due to severe levels of air pollution.

CYR – Care In Your Ring

CYR is a line of rings with interchangeable heads designed to encourage self-massage, with prior indication of the specialized therapist on how to make it, daily and on any occasion is possible.

Check out the full list of winning inventions.

Images Copyright – The James Dyson Award / Inventors / edited by I Am New Generation Magazine

More Stories

How African students are saving lives with medical Drones

‘The Anti-Fragile Collective’ created by students to inspire the younger generation into becoming future agents of change