HONG KONG SAR - 16 October 2024 -
-> As global warming intensifies, the global workforce is at risk from death or injury as a result of extreme heat. It is revealed that 60% of Hong Kong’s construction workers have suffered symptoms of heat stroke[1].
-> Today, the James Dyson Award announces its 20 best inventions by young engineers and designers, including a helmet cooling accessory from Hong Kong, marking the region’s second consecutive year in the Top 20. Sir James Dyson will now select the global winners from this shortlist, to be announced on 13 November
-> The Top 20 shortlist features a prominent presence of entries from Asia, with China, Singapore and South Korea each securing two spots, signifying the rise of Asian inventions on the global stage
Addressing heat stress: A personal cooling device designed for outdoor workers
Air Ring 48 (AR48), which has been shortlisted for this year’s James Dyson Award Global Top 20, tackles the critical problem of heat stress in construction workers through an innovative cooling accessory aimed at improving safety and productivity in challenging conditions.
Since 2021, Hong Kong has recorded more than 50 days of extremely hot weather with temperatures exceeding 33 degrees[2], posing significant heat stress and health risks to the city’s workers. AR48 is an advanced personal cooling device designed to integrate with standard safety helmets, providing targeted relief for outdoor workers. It directs airflow to key areas prone to heat stress, such as the neck and behind the ears. Testing shows it can reduce skin temperature by up to 3.20°C and core temperature by 0.67°C, delivering an overall cooling effect.
Weighing just 150 grams and operating at a whisper-quiet 30dB, AR48 stands out as a wearable device designed for comfort and ease of use. Its single-click helmet attachment ensures secure operation with minimal distractions. Built to be waterproof and impact-resistant, it meets industry safety standards, rendering it suitable for challenging construction environments.
AR48 has been recognised as the Hong Kong winner of the 2024 James Dyson Award announced earlier in September, receiving a price of £5,000. Being selected as Global Top 20, AR48 will now enter the final stage of the James Dyson Award, competing for global winners that will be selected by Sir James Dyson and announced on 13th November. The winning inventions will receive £30,000 to support their further development and commercialisation.
Established in 2005, the James Dyson Award is an international design competition which inspires and celebrates the next generation of design engineers. The Award operates across 29 countries this year and has supported over 400 problem-solving inventions with over £1m in prize money. It is run by the James Dyson Foundation, Sir James Dyson’s engineering-education charity.
Crafting for perfection: The development of Air Ring 48
The engineers behind AR48 are three students from the University of Hong Kong: Yu To Mak, Ze Fu Jeff Li, and Jing Hymn Joseph Wong. Observing the demanding outdoor working conditions, the team is motivated to create a revolutionising cooling solution tailored to the needs of construction sites, which can help enhance safety and mitigate the risk of heat-related illnesses among outdoor workers.
The team dedicated the past two years to developing AR48, culminating in the creation of its 48th prototype. Through a blend of digital tools and hands-on techniques, including cardboard modeling and clay sculpting, they meticulously refine the device’s proportions, airflow, and tactile elements to ensure the device’s performance under challenging outdoor condition. As a major next step, they are currently investing for further product development, which will involve manufacturing trials and waterproofing tests. In the long term, they aim to introduce this transformative technology to the global market, advancing working conditions for construction workers in Hong Kong and beyond.
Upon learning that AR48 has been shortlisted, Jing Hymn Joseph Wong expressed, “Being selected for the James Dyson Award Top 20 shortlist is a tremendous honor and an exciting milestone for our team. It not only validates our hard work but also fuels our drive to elevate our invention. We look forward to refining our project and proceed with further development that will bring our vision to life, thereby making a meaningful impact on worker safety and wellbeing.”
Sam Dill, Dyson Sustainability Engineer and James Dyson Award Top 20 judge says, “I was particularly impressed with Air Ring 48’s iterative design process. Their thorough real-world testing, physical prototyping and data collection led to continuous improvements, making their entry Top 20 worthy. They understood the other products already on the market and made sure to differentiate themselves, and were able to show tangible improvements with their product offering.”
