A LIMERICK inventor has made the shortlist for the James Dyson award for 2024 for a device that can give great solace and comfort to people undergoing lifesaving treatment for cancer.
Olivia Humphreys made the global shortlist for the award with her invention Athena, a device that makes scalp cooling more accessible for chemotherapy patients.
Scalp cooling is a form of therapy which can help slow or prevent hair loss in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and is usually only administered during chemo sessions.
Olivia’s Athena device is designed to be portable and more cost and time effective, making the treatment more accessible for people living with cancer.
She took the top prize in the Irish James Dyson Award last month, and will now go on to compete for the global title, along with a €38,000 top prize.
The 24-year-old University of Limerick graduate was inspired to create the device having seen her mother go through chemotherapy, finding herself taken aback by the lack of scalp cooling devices available to people undergoing chemo, as well as the inconvenience and time it took to commit to it.
The global winners of the competition will be announced by Sir James Dyson in November, with the winning inventions receiving €38,000 to support their further development and commercialisation.
Speaking about her device, Olivia said that being recognised for the award has been “an incredibly fulfilling experience”.
“It reflects the invaluable input I’ve received from patients and care staff that helped me, along with the passion and hard work I have put in to get it to this point.”
The empathetic young inventor said she was “truly grateful to have my project acknowledged on such a big stage. It’s exciting to know that the work I’ve done has the potential to make a real impact, and I’m inspired to keep pushing forward.”
Olivia said that feedback on making Athena more compact and mobile was paramount in the creation process.
“This initial prototype for Athena provided a strong foundation to build upon, and I received valuable feedback on things like how to make it more compact by optimising components like the water tank, pump, and battery. I began refining the design into a smaller, lightweight carry case,” she said.
She is the sole Irish person shortlisted in the top 20.
The overall winners of the James Dyson Award will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 13.
