The winner of the James Dyson Award in 2009 was AUTOMIST by Yusuf Muhammad and Paul Thomas.
In recognition of their victory, they have won £10,000 to develop their design. £10,000 will also be awarded to their university department to support the development of future projects by other promising students.
Read about the winning entry, as well as the fifteen international finalists, here.
2009 Finalist
Head'Sup. Belgium
Problem:
Disabled people who have poor control over their arms or who are paralyzed often find steering a wheelchair difficult. Existing assistance systems are not visually attractive, and can be difficult to use.
Development:
There were several prototypes made and tested from the initial phase. Once the basic function was developed, the Head'Sup control was further refined to be as small as possible.
Solution:
Head'Sup is a control for an electric wheelchair that relies only on the user's head to steer the wheelchair. Its unique design means that the head remains supported, minimising user exertion.
2009 Finalist - Squease