A Hong Kong-developed solution to mitigate heat has taken out the Sustainability category at the 2023 James Dyson Awards, which are named and adjudicated by the celebrated engineer.

E-COATING, created by Hong Kong citizens Hoi Fung Ronaldo Chan (pictured top left) and Can Jovial Xiao (pictured top right), is an exterior wall and roof coating made out of recycled waste glass that reflects the sun’s rays, reducing the need for artificial cooling. Air conditioning is responsible for a third of the region’s electricity consumption, while an average of 470,000 glass bottles end up in landfill each day.

“Ronaldo and Jovial have come up with a clever way to turn waste into something much more valuable,” Dyson says.

“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.”

e-coating

$50,000 in prize money will support the team’s plans to advance E-COATING’s adhesion and ease of application, and the potential ability to utilise the material indoors.

“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,” Chan and Xiao say in a joint statement.

The inaugural winner of the Humanitarian category was Piotr Tłuszcz’s The Life Chariot, a MEDEVAC off-road ambulance that attaches to any hook-equipped vehicle. The low weight and suspension of the device makes for easier transportation of wounded.

The International category was awarded to The Golden Capsule, invented by Yujin Chae, Daeyeon Kim, Yeonghwan Shin and Yuan Bai. The team from Seoul’s Hongik University created the non-powered and hands-free IV device which uses elastic forces and air pressure differences rather than gravity to ensure IV packs are elevated without the requirement of medics or nurses when patients are being transported.

Jarrod Reedie

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