Students Extinguish Global Issue of Wildfire Detection, Winning UK National James Dyson Award

Pyri, this year’s UK National James Dyson Award winner tackles the global issue of wildfire detection. In 2023, wildfires caused over 300 deaths[1] and cost $50bn[2] globally. According to a recent report, climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense[3]. The report finds an elevated risk for the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires, as well as noting that people’s health is directly affected by inhaling wildfire smoke, causing respiratory and cardiovascular impacts and increased health effects for the most vulnerable.

According to Pyri, early wildfire detection is key to reducing wildfire devastation. Conventional solutions require prohibitive amounts of time, money, and labour to install and maintain. Richard Alexandre, was inspired to

The Invention

Pyri is a bio-inspired and bio-based early wildfire detection system for remote and low-cost widespread coverage. The heat from nascent wildfires activate Pyri’s novel organic electronics which emit a radio frequency signal to alert vulnerable communities. Designed for remote, unprepared, vulnerable communities, and beyond.

The UK National Winners of the James Dyson Award and young inventors of Pyri, are a team comprised of Richard Alexandre, Karina Gunadi, Blake Goodwyn and Tanghao Yu (aged between 24 and 33). They met while studying a double masters in Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College and the Royal College of Art in London. The group came to their course from different backgrounds and with different experiences, making it a dynamic and diverse team.

Inspired by serotinous pinecones, which release seeds only in the presence of fire, Pyri is a novel heat-triggered detection mechanism made from nature-derived materials in harmony with the environment they protect. The device is an effective use of human resources, as it is easy to install, requires zero maintenance, does not need skilled training to operate and most importantly has an accessible price point. Many current solutions are both cost and labour intensive, whereas Pyri is low cost, nature based and can be dispersed by fire-fighting helicopters already in use in these communities.

At the outset of their project, the team consulted with experts from wildfire-affected communities around the world—from the US to Europe—to gain insights into the challenges these communities face and to explore both current and potential solutions.

Having applied for a patent in July 2024, the team at Pyri worked tirelessly to produce over 20 experimental prototypes, testing and re-creating continuously to produce the device they have today. Richard, Blake, Tanghao and Karina worked on numerous iterations of Pyri and spent months working on power and trigger concepts, as well as exploring over 46 material combinations to create this problem-solving invention. 

Pyri will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award. The James Dyson Award international top 20 shortlist will be announced on 16^th October, and the international winners on 13^th November.

The Runners Up

Peter

Problem: Design and engineering student, Jonathan Fisher’s father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018. While Parkinson’s is famous for causing shakes, there are over 40 ways the disease causes people to suffer, including freezing of gait. This stops people’s legs from working and prevents one from moving forward. Terrifyingly, this can happen randomly at any time of the day, leading to severe accidents and falls. This motivated young inventor, who studies at the University of Cambridge, to design a device for his father to use improving his quality of life.

Solution. Created by Jonathan Fisher, University of Cambridge

Peter is a wearable biomedical device that helps people with Parkinson’s Disease regain their ability to walk. It detects when their legs stop working and automatically plays rhythmic signals through the collarbone to help them move.

The device is made up of two products: a neckband and a sensor. The neckband is worn over clothing touching the collarbone and the sensor is attached to the shoe. When walking, the sensor automatically detects when the leg of the user stops and immediately sends a signal to the neckband. Using AI and real-time tracking, the sensor can detect if one has chosen to stop or if their leg is frozen. Once received, the neckband plays a rhythmic sound through the collarbone using transducers which keep legs moving.

PulpaTronics

Problem: Of the 20 billion RFID tags made in 2019, 12 billion were made for the $1.7 trillion fashion industry. Many of these RFID tags used in clothing purchases are single use and end up in landfills, once pulled off. This wastes natural resources and energy, while increasing environmental damage, CO2 emissions and e-waste.

Upon discovering the impacts of single-use electronics, the team of three at PulpaTronics landed on metal-free RFID tags, their goal being to push technology forward by minimising resource depletion.

Solution. Created by Adonis Christodoulou, Barna Soma Biro & Chloe So – Royal College of Art & Imperial College London.

PulpaTronics develop more sustainable radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that eliminate metal mining, simplify manufacturing and minimise environmental impact. The paper-only tags are recyclable and cut costs in half making RFID tags more accessible. They are embedded in products for identification through radio signals, and are widely adopted for item tracking and inventory management within commerce, transportation and logistics. PulpaTronics provides more sustainable RFID tags. The novel technology replaces the metal antenna by laser-inducing a carbon-based conductive material onto paper. Using a chipless design, our tags store information in the geometric pattern of the conductor instead of a microchip. PulpaTronics’ technology reduces annual CO2 emissions by 70%.