University of Limerick

Chris Murphy, a student at the University of Limerick has been awarded the Irish James Dyson Award.  Chris, from Westport in Co Mayo, designed an innovative access system for swimming pools which was inspired by his work as a lifeguard called the ‘Open Pool Transfer’.  The electronic lift device gives people of all mobility levels a safe, comfortable and dignified way of transferring from poolside to water.   Along with being awarded this accolade, the twenty-three year- old- student will also  receive €2,000 and a place at the international stage of the competition with a chance to win €12,000 in prize money and €12,000 for the University Product Design and Technology Department.

The ‘Open Pool Transfer’ is controlled by the user themselves or an assistant. Users sit facing parallel to the pool wall as they are lowered into the water so they can see both the device itself and the pool wall. Controls in the armrest are used to lower the seat into the water in a two-stage process. This results in a greater feeling of safety and an improved experience. Chris, who has just completed the BSc. Product Design and Technology programme at UL, developed the Open Pool Transfer’ design as his Final Design project and carried out months of research, generated a wide range of solutions, tested and refined his ideas before deciding on the final, product which was exhibited with his 15 classmates at DesignED11, the UL end of year show for the Product Design and Technology class.  

“I am extremely happy to have won this award, fourth year was one of the toughest years of my life but the end result of my final product and the products of my classmates reflects the amount of work put in. Product Design has allowed me to hone my creative and analytical skills, allowing me to come up with the initial idea and hone it down to the final finished concept while adhering to principles of ergonomics and design for manufacture.” said Chris following the win

Niall DeLoughry, Course Director, BSc Product Design and Technology said; “Chris’ project is the culmination of 9 months of hard work and creative effort and this is reflected in the originality and depth of detail of his product. We are harnessing incredible talent here at UL, two designs from last year's exhibit were nominated for the Dyson International Design Award and one of the designers has subsequently gone on to secure employment with Dyson in the UK."

Chris will see his invention compete with designs from 17 other countries for the prestigious International James Dyson Award which challenges students and recent graduates to solve an everyday problem in a creative way.