• SmartHEAL, A smart sensor for dressings which indicates how well a wound is healing by measuring its pH level, invented by students from Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
• Polyformer, A machine that recycles plastic bottles into affordable 3D printer filament for developing nations, invented by students from McMaster University, Canada
• Ivvy, A wearable replacement for the existing intravenous drip pole apparatus, improving comfort and mobility for patients, invented by Charlotte Blancke from the University of Antwerp, Belgium

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 16 November 2022 - The James Dyson Award has given more than £1m in prize money to over 300 promising inventions from young engineers and scientists around the world. This year, Sir James Dyson has selected two global winners, each receiving £30,000, and one runner-up, receiving £5,000 in prize money, to support the next stages of their inventions.Commenting on this year's competition, Sir James Dyson said: "Every year, the James Dyson Award offers proof that young people are passionate about improving the planet and solving environmental and medical problems. There are people who grandstand over the issues they care about, but these young inventors are doing something more productive. They are diligently applying themselves to problem-solving using engineering, science and ingenious design." The winning inventions International winner – SmartHEAL, invented by Tomasz Raczyński, Dominik Baraniecki and Piotr Walter The problem When covered by a dressing, it is very hard to know how well a wound is healing. The most common mistake in wound healing is changing the dressing too often, which can lead to infections and tissue disruption.^[1] Current methods of assessing a wound rely on subjective scoring of colour, smell, temperature – or expensive laboratory biochemical tests.^[2] Poor wound healing not only leads to tissue inflammation, but also necrosis (death of body tissue that is irreversible), and can lead to severe illness or death. The Diabetes Hong Kong reported that there are currently more than 700,000 diabetes patients in the city, accounting for 10% of the overall population with the trajectory to surge to 920,000 by 2030.^[3] Therefore, diabetes-triggered foot ulcers will potentially become the major chronic wounds that Hong Kong public ought to face in the long term.^[4]The solution SmartHEAL is a precise, affordable and scalable smart pH sensor for dressings. By using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) communication systems and monitoring the pH of a wound, SmartHEAL can assess the wound's condition and detect infection without removing the dressing, and therefore without disrupting the tissue.^[5] Medical professionals can subsequently analyse the data and prescribe the appropriate treatment for the wound. Smart bandages create and preserve a balanced wound environment.^[6] "We've all nervously peeled back a dressing or plaster to see what is happening underneath. SmartHEAL, a smart dressing, has won the International James Dyson Award because it provides doctors and patients with a key piece of data – the pH level – that can tell them how a wound is healing. This can improve treatment and prevent infection, saving lives. I hope the Award will give the team impetus to proceed down the tricky path towards commercialisation." – Sir James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer at Dyson.Next steps The team will finish testing and then start clinical trials. Their aim is to then finish the certification process in three years' time so they can start to distribute and sell SmartHEAL dressings in 2025. On winning the James Dyson Award International prize, the SmartHEAL team said: "We are super excited to be the International Winners of the James Dyson Award this year! This is and will be a great opportunity for us to become a part of something bigger, something that hopefully can change the world. We strive to refine our prototype, obtain a patent and pass the necessary clinical trials to commercialise SmartHEAL. We were honoured to be greeted by Sir James Dyson himself. His words: "Congratulations! You are the International winners of the James Dyson Award "still ring in our ears – we're still in disbelief, joy and happiness!" Facts and stats

• It is estimated that 1 to 2 % of the population will experience a chronic wound during their lifetime in developed countries. ^[7]
• The dramatic increase in the ageing population will increase these numbers as wound closure is negatively associated with age.
• According to the service data from the Wound Care Unit across Hong Kong West Cluster, 3200 patients were served in 2015 and the number continues to grow.^[8]

Sustainability winner – Polyformer, invented by Swaleh Owais and Reiten Cheng The problem While working at a makerspace in Rwanda, Swaleh and Reiten learned that many locals could not use the...