AsianScientist (Nov. 11, 2013) – Brandon Tan, a Temasek Polytechnic student in Singapore, has won Singapore’s National James Dyson Award for developing a “survival” backpack.
With the help of Hyflux, a Singapore-based water management company, Tan from First Few Days (FFD) designed a backpack that pumps drinking water and generates electricity to charge mobile devices in the event of a disaster. He received US$3,200 in prize money as part of the award.
The James Dyson Award is an international design award that recognizes and encourages the works of next generation design engineers and aims to inspire young people on design engineering.
A US team from the University of Pennsylvania created Titan Arm, a battery powered upper-body robotic arm that instantly increases human strength, winning the 2013 James Dyson Award and US$45,000. The Titan Arm is designed to rehabilitate people suffering from back injuries, allowing them to rebuild muscle and relearn motor control.
Two runner-ups of the award each received US$16,000 for further development. Hiroshi Yamaura, one of the runner-ups from Japan, created Handie, which is an affordable prosthetic hand with inbuilt myoelectric sensors that can read brain signals. All components of the hand are easily modified and reproduced using a 3D printer.
——
Source: James Dyson Foundation.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
