The Irish winner of the James Dyson Award, which celebrates inventions by young engineers and designers, has been shortlisted for the international final of the competition.
University of Limerick graduate Olivia Humphreys, the inventor of 'Athena', a scalp-cooling device for cancer patients, will now compete for the top prize of €38,000.
Athena is a portable, thermoelectric battery-operated scalp-cooling device for people undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Scalp-cooling can help prevent hair loss by shrinking the blood vessels with the application of cold temperatures to the scalp during chemotherapy treatment.
Athena is designed to be more cost-effective and timesaving than hospital models without compromising on the quality.
Ms Humphreys witnessed first-hand how much of an impact chemotherapy-induced hair loss can have on a person when her mother had cancer in 2019.
From spending time with her during treatment experience, Ms Humphreys noticed the shortage of scalp-cooling machines in the hospital her mother was in, as well as how limited the existing solutions were.
Athena works by utilising low-cost thermoelectric semiconductors to cool a tank of water which is then circulated around the head through a headpiece.
"Being recognised by the James Dyson Award has been an incredibly fulfilling experience," Ms Humphreys said.
"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."
"I am 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," she added.
Global winners will be selected by James Dyson and announced on 13 November.
The winning inventions will receive €38,000 to support their further development and commercialisation.
