Designs for a better world

Four UNSW industrial designers are among the finalists of Australia's top student design competition, the James Dyson Award, with clever designs to improve healthcare, surf safety and emergency response.

Following the outstanding success of Samuel Adeloju, who last year won the international James Dyson Award for his Longreach flotation device launcher, the Faculty of Built Environment this year has taken four of the final 12 places in the Australian leg of the competition.

The student designs reflect creative approaches to challenges which exist in a diverse range of environments, from the developing world, to disaster zones and the sporting arena.

There were 93 initial entrants to this year's competition.

The four UNSW finalists for the 2011 James Dyson Award are:

- Berty Bhuruth, with his OPTImetric diagnostic tool for eyecare in developing countries. OPTImetric measures and photographs a patient's eye, creating an image that can be sent to an opthalmologist;

- Richard Webb, with the Sonic Scan diabetes self-testing device, which measures blood glucose, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and provides an electrocardiogram;

- Chris Fox, for his 9th Life personal flotation device for watersports - a design which equips a wetsuit jacket with a lifevest that inflates automatically when the wearer is at risk of drowning; and

- Eric Chau for his Hy-Jack low-profile hydraulic jack, designed for rescue work and raising fallen objects in earthquake and other emergency zones.

Program Director of Industrial Design, Dr Miles Park, said he had been impressed by the quality of work coming out of the Faculty of Built Environment.

"This year's entries have continued a very strong run of student design work," he said.

"We've seen innovative thinking and the attention to detail has been outstanding."

Dyson spokesman and award judging panel member Ross Cameron said the student awards were judged in accordance with stringent assessment criteria.

"Students who do well in this award really do have what it takes to make it in the industry," he said.

The winners of the Australian James Dyson Awards will be announced on Friday, July 22. Finalists are also eligible for the international James Dyson Award.

Media Contact:Peter Trute, UNSW Media Office | 02 9385 1933 | 0410 271 826 | p.trute@unsw.edu.au