Brace for Change

Discontent with his chest brace, open heart surgery recipient and design engineer Ian Siew created his own, called Auxobrace.

- ALVIN LIM

This year’s national winner of the James Dyson Award — an award named after the British inventor behind household appliance manufacturer Dyson — went to the Auxobrace, a vestlike contraption for patients recovering from chest surgery.

Designed by 24-year-old Ian Siew, the vest can turn rigid at the press of a button as a vacuum pump removes air from its 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) structure, tightening the fabric precisely and uniformly along a patient’s chest without restricting breathing. Meanwhile, a finger joint-like support, also 3D-printed, provides stability to the sternum bone, restricting its movement during daily activities.

The annual international design competition is “aimed at encouraging aspiring engineers and inventors to apply their knowledge and discover new ways to solve problems, improve lives through technology, and change the world”.

Runner-ups for the Singapore leg of the James Dyson Award include Project Mimir, an affordable braille embosser, and the Thermal Floater, a floating device that converts solar-thermal energy into electricity.

All three devices have progressed to the international stage of the James Dyson Award. Siew’s Auxobrace, in fact, has already been shortlisted as one of the top 20 inventions globally, bringing him close to the grand prize of $48,000.