· Poland’s Piotr Tłuszcz wins a special humanitarian prize for The Life Chariot, an off-road trailer ambulance for universal towing, that has been used by medics in Ukraine
· Korea’s first global winners secure prize for The Golden Capsule, a hands-free (intravenous) IV device for use in disaster zones
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 15 November 2023 – The James Dyson Award, the international design award, today announces its three global winners: an International winner, a Sustainability winner, and a Humanitarian winner. For the first time for Hong Kong – two students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong – Hoi Fung Ronaldo Chan and Can Xiao, have been awarded the Sustainability award with their eco-friendly solution utilising waste glass and turning it into coating with a high cooling effect for buildings. The winners are selected by Sir James Dyson, each will receive £30,000 to support the next stages of their inventions.
Commenting on this year’s competition, Sir James Dyson said: “Rather than grandstanding about the problems we face, these young inventors are getting on and solving them with technology and design. It’s their passion and determination to improve the world that makes them so impressive, and I hope the Award will give them a springboard to success.”
Sustainability winner – E-COATING, invented by Hoi Fung Ronaldo Chan and Can Jovial Xiao
In Hong Kong, air-conditioning accounts for almost a third (31%) of total electricity consumption.[1] In addition, over 178 tonnes glass bottles end up in landfills every day[2].
E-COATING is an eco-friendly solution that solves two problems in one. It is created from recycled waste glass and can be applied to exterior roofs and walls to reflect the sun’s rays thereby reducing the heat absorption of buildings. This reduces the amount of electricity consumed on cooling solutions like air-conditioning and mitigates the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
“Ronaldo and Jovial have come up with a clever way to turn waste into something much more valuable. E-COATING uses recycled glass to create a coating to put on exterior walls. This reflects the sun’s rays, and therefore saves a substantial proportion of the electricity needed to cool the building. It is a dual solution that is good for the environment and saves money.” Sir James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer at Dyson.
The Award will support the team’s plans to advance E-COATING’s adhesion and ease of application. They will also investigate new E-COATING formulas for indoor use.
After speaking to Sir James Dyson, Ronaldo and Jovial said, “We invented E-COATING with a desire to help tackle the serious environmental problems our planet is facing. The prize money will allow us to further our research and development goals and start a company to take our invention to the next level.”
Humanitarian winner – The Life Chariot, invented by Piotr Tłuszcz
As he watched the conflict unfold in Ukraine, young inventor Piotr observed the challenges of medical evacuations across challenging terrain. This inspired him to design The Life Chariot, a MEDEVAC off-road ambulance that can attach to any hook-equipped vehicle. The vehicle’s low weight and suspension makes it safer for a casualty to travel in than the boot of a car.
Piotr’s interest in designing trailers started with off-road trips with his family through the Balkans and Pyrenees. He then spent the next 10 years and the course of his bachelor’s and master’s degrees designing off-road and cave rescue trailers, before creating The Life Chariot. The Life Chariot increases the evacuation capabilities of rescue teams by adding room for one injured person on a stretcher and two more seats for medics or the lightly wounded. The initial two builds have been given to the Ukrainian Medical Military Unit and the Polish Voluntary Medic Unit of Damian Duda “W Międzyczasie” Foundation, having been tested in terrains such as mountain trails, forests, caves and mines.
“This year the James Dyson Award gives a special Humanitarian prize to Piotr, who has designed an ingenious way of recovering injured people from challenging terrain. The Life Chariot can be towed by anything – allowing medics to do their life-saving work with the resources they have at hand. It’s also brilliant to see his iterative design process continue in response to feedback from those using it on the ground.” Sir James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer at Dyson.
Piotr is continuing to implement upgrades to The Life Chariot based on feedback received from medics working on the front line. He is also working on adapting the vehicle for mountain rescue purposes.
On winning the 2023 James Dyson Award, Piotr said, “I hope that The Life Chariot, with support from the James Dyson Award, will continue to save lives, whether in frontline evacuations or rescues from accidents in inaccessible places.”
International winner – The Golden Capsule, invented by Yujin Chae, Daeyeon Kim, Yeonghwan Shin and Yuan Bai
The Turkish-Syrian earthquakes in February 2023 resulted in over 55,000 casualties, with a further 100,000 injured.[3] Throughout the evacuation process, medics had to move through harsh environments while carrying several IV packs in their hands for their patients.
In response to this problem, a team of student inventors from Hongik University in Seoul designed The Golden Capsule, a non-powered and hands-free IV device which uses elastic forces and air pressure differences rather than gravity. This means that medics in disaster zones do not have to hold up IV packs while transporting patients, and electricity is not required to control the infusion rate.
“The team has identified the limitations of existing IV injection methods, which rely on gravity and electricity, in disaster zones. Their Golden Capsule offers a much more practical, hands-free solution, using a pressurised bladder, which can be positioned anywhere, such as strapped to the patient’s side. This slowly deflates, pressurising the drip into the patient, leaving medics free to perform other life-saving work.” Sir James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer at Dyson.
The team will continue to conduct prototype improvements and user tests in collaboration with medical experts to ensure The Golden Capsule’s functionality in various emergency scenarios and hospitals. In the future, the team plans to bring their invention into mass production.
On designing their winning invention, the team said, “We saw the difficulties medics and first responders faced at natural disaster sites when transporting patients with IVs, and feedback for our solution has been positive so far. Ultimately, we hope to establish this as the new standard for IV packs, not only in emergency situations, but in hospitals too.”
[1] Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) (2022). Hong Kong Energy End-use Data 2022.
[2] Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website by HKSAR government. https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/sites/default/files/resources_centre/waste_statistics/msw2021_eng.pdf
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The James Dyson Foundation
The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The competition has supported over 300 inventions with prize money and is run by the James Dyson Foundation, an engineering education charity funded by Dyson profits.
The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Foundation’s work encourage aspiring engineers and problem solvers to apply their knowledge and discover new ways to improve lives through technology. To date, James and the James Dyson Foundation have contributed over £140m to boundary-breaking concepts in education and other charitable causes.
The Foundation has a website, 
Instagram, 
Twitter and 
YouTube.
About the competition
The brief
Design something that solves a problem. This problem may be a frustration that we all face in daily life, or a global issue. The important thing is that the solution is effective and demonstrates considered design thinking.
The process
Entries are judged first at the national level by a panel of external judges and a Dyson engineer. Each operating market awards a National winner and two National runners-up. From these winners, a panel of Dyson engineers then select an international shortlist of 20 entries. The top 20 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects his international winners.
The prize
- International winners, chosen by Sir James Dyson, awarded up to £30,000.
- Each National winner receives £5,000.
Services
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Stakeholder mapping, analysis, engagement and communication needs to be detailed to avoid business losses or even worse, a crisis. How can you do this effectively to prevent failure? ...
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Data-driven business decisions have never been as crucial, especially in this era. MGBF leverages off, technology, experience and market presence to aid businesses in making accurate decisions. ...
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
MGBF provides comprehensive strategic advice and results-focused solutions to solve clients' problems in business-government relations so they can focus on their core business. ...
BUSINESS & BROADER MARKET ACCESS
A critical business challenge is meeting the right decision-makers and potential buyers through the best channel and platform. How will you improve your business competency? ...
Upcoming Events
‘A WORKING LUNCH WITH NORDIN’: NATIONWIDE TOUR WITH TOYOTA
MGBF founding chairman Nordin Abdullah and UMW Toyota president Datuk Ravindran K. will delve into the convergence of automotive innovation and environmental sustainability in Penang, Sarawak, Johor and Pahang.
MGBF Roundtable: Digitalisation of the Food and Beverage Industry
Hosted by menumiz™ – an end-to-end restaurant management system – this roundtable will feature a case study presentation and a panel session to discuss the latest digital trends, challenges, and opportunities within the food and beverage sector.
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: A THREAT OF DISRUPTION FOR BUSINESS?
In this episode of 'A Working Lunch with Nordin', MGBF's founding chairman, Nordin Abdullah, will host this discussion focusing on the biggest threats and opportunities for businesses as we look to manage change in the South China Sea.
FOOD SECURITY IN THE BREACH: INDUSTRIALISATION AND WEAPONISATION
This MGBF Roundtable will focus on regional food security issues and trends in the regional supply chain, and trade regulations and policies, including a new geopolitical tool i.e., weaponisation of supply chains.
MGBF In The News
News provided by Emjay Communications Malaysia and China commemorated a historic milestone of 50 years of diplomatic relations with a grand celebration at Sunway Velocity Mall on the 10th of August 2024. The event, themed “Hi China: Discovering China Opportunities and Celebrating 50 Years of China-Malaysia Relationship,” aimed to deepen […]
Planet QEOS, KIS BlOCNG San Bhd, and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) have officially signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative framework aimed at producing bio-hydrogen via the Steam Biomethane Reforming (SBMR) Process. The MoU was signed by Planet QEOS executive chairman Dino […]
Planet QEOS and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) are interested in investing RM10 billion to co-develop advanced Megawatt peak (MWp) agrovoltaic in Baram, to further boost Sarawak’s green energy initiative and food security. Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was briefed on Friday by both the […]
Last week SPM results came out, 373,974 aspirants who have been waiting patiently over the last few months would now know their fate. Some 10,109 have received all A’s, the golden standard of academic success and the ticket to those looking to study the “more advanced” subjects in university. Proudly, […]
The classic knee-jerk reaction is to say, fire the coach, change the leadership of associations, and reduce the funding till they start performing better. This kind of negative reinforcement may work for kindergarten children, but we are dealing with high-performance adults – individuals much further along in their psychological and […]
Since its earliest tea plantations in 1929, Cameron Highlands has grown to become a key player in the agricultural landscape of Malaysia, producing 40 per cent of all vegetables grown. Despite Malaysia shifting its economic focus away from agriculture, the industry remains imperative for food security and the livelihoods of […]
Although at first glance the travel industry and the agricultural sector appear to have nothing in common, they actually share more than meets the eye. The economic benefits of tourism to the agricultural sector can be multiplied several times over. “Tourism brings the end consumers closer to the source, which […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) recently held a high-level roundtable themed ‘Designing the Future of the Digital Economy’, attended by industry leaders and business associations. The guest of honour was Yang Berhormat Syerleena Abdul Rashid, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Bendera in Penang. The MP’s Special Session […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) will be hosting a roundtable on ‘Designing the Future of the Digital Economy’ on 23 February 2023. It is the culmination of the first three MGBF Exclusive Roundtable Series titled ‘The Evolving Threat Matrix in the Digital Economy’ held throughout 2022. According to the […]
The Founding Chairman of the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF), Nordin Abdullah, today spoke on Bernama TV’s leading English talk show, The Brief, hosted by Jessy Chahal, on the topic of a stable political reality and what that means for the Malaysian economy. Nordin said, “The first thing that it […]
More than 1,100 years ago, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was developing the mathematical formulas that we know today as algorithms which now have become so intertwined with the business fortunes of global media giants and the very fabric of geopolitics. A series of recent high level international reports have revealed […]
KSK Land has been recognised by the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) for its role in attracting high net-worth individuals to Malaysia post-pandemic. The first challenge in investor attraction is “selling” the country. In the context of Asia, Malaysia is competing with some very established investment destinations. The second […]
Malaysia, in particular Kuala Lumpur, continues to position itself as a regional centre to do business, educate a family and enjoy a global lifestyle. One company, KSK Land, has taken the lead in positioning itself and the city of Kuala Lumpur as a property investment destination for the global citizen […]
The upcoming budget represents an opportunity to build resilience in the critical sectors that will form the backbone of the country’s future-facing economic ambitions. This however needs to be achieved in the context of managing the community sectors most impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years. The Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2022 – As the global economy continues to deal with unprecedented levels of disruption caused by the pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the convergence of energy security and food security issues has become a front-of-mind issue faced by policy makers and consumers alike. […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2022 — Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) ties up with scoutAsia to ensure that businesses are equipped with deeper regional insights. The past two years has seen a massive shift in the way businesses are conducted with digitisation, digitalisation and automation continuously being adopted to improve […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Security Concerns in Critical Value Chains’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The guest of honour was Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, former minister of […]
