Dyson UK competition winner announced

The Gadget Show  Wednesday 04 August 2010

The Pure water system – a winner in Dyson's eyes

The UK winner of the Dyson Award – an accolade for product design innovation – has been announced today. Timothy Whitehead, from Loughborough University has won £10K and a place in the next round of the competition for his “Pure” innovation – a water bottle that uses UV light to purify water.

Tim claims that his prototype can purify water in two minutes, rather than the half an hour when using chlorine or iodine tablets.

The system uses two chambers and a wind-up UV light to blast through the purification process. Tim tested his prototype using sewer water, and it sterilised 99.9% of bacteria and viruses – which could prove an invaluable process in developing countries.

Like an X Factor for the engineering world, the Dyson Award is an international talent search for the budding product design stars – and stellar products – of tomorrow, challenging them to “be creative in solving every-day problems”.

Timothy’s entry will now go up against global entries such as an indoor composting device, a chair made to be strapped to public spaces, an ultra-lightweight car than can withstand fire. The entries will be judged by Dyson engineers, international judges and finally, James Dyson himself. The overall winner will be announced later in the year.