US Edition 
Student inventors battle it out for Dyson award
Earphones that replicate live music, an origami inspired tent and an umbrella that produces light at night are among the inventions submitted to an international competition for design and engineering students being run by Sir James Dyson.
The winner receives a £10,000 cash prize to develop their invention and £10,000 for their university, while national winners in 18 countries will each receive £1,000.
Many of the entries focus on solving or easing humanitarian issues.
An entry from France, for example, is a dual use umbrella treated with photoluminescent pigments so it provides illumination at night using the sunlight accumulated during the day.
The 'Solune' is designed for use in refugee camps as an emergency response.
Jan Pawluskiewicz, from University of Washington in the USA, has developed an easy to assemble collapsible shelter that can be carried in a backpack.
“I took inspiration from origami and began folding paper,” Mr Pawluskiewicz said. “With just a few creases I was able to turn a floppy piece of paper into a free-standing structure.”
The lightweight invention, called Urban Rock, is intended for use in areas struck by natural disaster.
Mr Dyson, best known for developing bagless vacuum cleaners, told entrants to the competition, which closes next week, to “put faith in frustrations.”
“The best ideas are the ones revealing a problem you hadn’t ever recognised – but now you know it’s there it will be a constant annoyance. The simpler the solution, and the more unexpected the means, the better.”
Sensible Music, an entry from Holland, adds low frequency vibrations to music with two small motors placed where headphones split so they lie on the chest.
Inventor Stefan Zwegers said this provides a similar feeling to the one produced when standing next to a speaker at a gig – but without damaging the wearer’s hearing.
Mr Zwegers set out to overcome hearing loss caused by listening to loud music through headphones.
UK entries include a low cost water pump for the developing world powered by compressed air from a bicycle pump.
Mr Dyson said is showed “ingenious simplicity”.
“It is a low cost solution to a big problem – getting access to water in arid conditions.”
Last year’s overall winner, Samuel Adeloju, invented a pneumatic gun that fires an emergency buoyancy aid up to 150 metres.
The Australian is currently deciding whether to license his design, called Longreach, or start a company to manufacture and distribute it.
The competition is open for entries until August 2.