James Dyson Award past winners: ThermoWear, 2022

The inspiration for ThermoWear came from the need to address the challenges of traditional orthoses, which often lead to complications like skin abrasion or pressure sores due to insufficient adjustments for dynamic body changes. Accessibility to healthcare became even more difficult during COVID-19, highlighting the need for an adaptable, cost-effective solution. ThermoWear was designed to empower patients with a comfortable, adjustable, and affordable alternative, reducing reliance on frequent medical interventions.

ThermoWear integrates electronics into a biocompatible thermoplastic board, allowing healthcare professionals to directly shape it on a patient’s body for quick and precise orthosis creation. Its metamaterial structures ensure optimal fit to organic shapes and enable customisation of wearable forms and sensor positions. ThermoWear not only assists in diagnosis and monitoring orthosis conditions but also supports dynamic rehabilitation needs, such as preventing joint stiffness in finger splints or tracking fit and growth in scoliosis braces, offering a personalised and efficient solution for patients and clinicians alike.

I heard about the James Dyson Award when I was working on ThermoWear as a research project at Zhejiang University, and I wanted to get more feedback from designers and engineers in the industry. The Award provides a platform for that, so I applied.

The James Dyson Award boosted my confidence to become an inventor and encouraged me to keep making designs which bring meaningful change to the world and makes people's lives better. The Award also provided me with really useful feedback to keep thinking about how I can make ThermoWear more accessible. 

After receiving feedback from other designers and engineers, I kept doing research and started a new project called E-orthosis. We have built a modular construction toolkit with sensors to enable healthcare professionals to quickly embed electronics into existing orthosis products.

Just go for it! You may get new insights and inspiration after putting your idea up for the Award.