Olivia Humphreys and a woman modelling Athena
Olivia Humphreys is among 20 finalists competing to win the grand prize of €38,000 at this year’s event, for her cancer therapy device called Athena.
Limerick woman Olivia Humphreys is one of 20 innovators shortlisted to compete globally at the final of the 2024 James Dyson Awards on 15 November.
Humphreys was previously named as the national James Dyson Award winner for her invention Athena, a scalp-cooling device used by people undergoing chemotherapy, to constrict blood vessels, limiting the effect of drugs on hair follicles and helping to prevent treatment-related hair loss.
Inspired by her mother’s experience battling breast cancer, Humphreys has been vocal about the need for additional devices in Ireland’s public hospitals, as well as the need for portable, less expensive alternatives to current models. The 24-year-old’s design is significantly cheaper to make and the mobile nature of the device means chemotherapy patients have far more autonomy in relation to their treatment plan.
“I began refining the design into a smaller, lightweight carry case,” said Humphreys. “As I moved forward, the product designer in me started creating more usability-focused prototypes, experimenting with different headpiece configurations and forms to ensure user comfort.
“The most exciting aspect of Athena is its potential for further development. My early conversations with engineers have been very positive, filled with discussions about ideas and possible tweaks. It’s exciting – there is a lot to be done,” she said.
Other entries in this year’s top 20 include a team who have designed a device for the early detection of wildfires called Pyri and a group who have created sustainable radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that eliminate metal mining, simplify manufacturing and minimise environmental impact, which is called PulpaTronics .
The global winners will be selected by a panel of expert judges and announced on the 15 November, with the winner to receive €38,000 in support of future development and the commercialisation of their invention.
Previous notable Irish innovations include a device designed by several students from Cork, to protect work crews from the risk of accidental drowning and a wearable device created by a University of Limerick student, aimed at helping people with ADHD to focus on tasks.
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