The Inventor Prize, launched in August 2017 in partnership with Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, called inventors across the UK to submit applications with ideas for products that tackle a social issue.

We received over 180 applications from across the UK, all of which were assessed against the judging criteria by our judging panel to determine which would be shortlisted to the finalist stage.

The standard of all of these ideas was exceptionally high so this was an extremely difficult decision for the judges. However, today we are delighted to announce the 10 teams who have made it through to the finalist stage.

As finalists, each of the teams will receive a £5,000 grant and non-financial support from Barclays Eagle Labs to further develop their ideas and products. They will receive tailored support from mentors and industry experts as well as access to Maker Space facilities and co-working desk space.

On the 24 and 25 January 2018, we brought together the finalists for the first time, where they met the Inventor Prize team and their mentors from Barclays Eagle Labs. The finalists have an incredibly exciting journey ahead of them, as they work towards a final judging panel in September 2018, where the overall winner will win £50,000 with recognition awards for two runners-up.

We’re excited to be a part of the journey and can’t wait to see how their products develop.

Details of the finalists are:

‘Ambionic Arm’ - by Ben Ryan of Ambionics

A 3D printable, body-powered hydraulic arms suitable to train children under 3 years of age so that they can accept more complex prosthetics later on, and avoid becoming one of the 60% who reject prosthetics altogether.

‘Canute’ by Ed Rogers and Bristol Braille, Bristol

This technology loads text files by SD card or USB connexion, whereupon it acts as a stand-alone ebook reader, much like a Kindle. Canute has been designed in close co-operation with a community of Braille users by microbusiness Bristol Braille.

Smart Gum Shield by Rob Paterson of ORB Innovations

A smart gum shield that monitors head movement of individual athletes, rugby and hockey players, alerts the coach of potential head injuries and prompts sport-specific protocol. Inventor suffered a misdiagnosed head injury after playing rugby at school.

‘Gameball Platform’, by Guillem Singla Buxarrais of Neurofenix Limited

This is a gamification of stroke rehabilitation with the invention of an easy-to-use hand-controller or Gameball. It allows users to play entertaining games, either solely or against other users, in the comfort of their own homes, with all games developed around motor learning research.

‘Aergo - Responsive Postural Support’ by Hsin-Hua Yu (Sheana) of Aergo

The world’s first responsive postural support seating for young wheelchair users. This product uses pressure sensitive inflatable supports to reinforce posture, reacting dynamically to how users are positioned, which allows for hands-off support throughout the day, radically increasing independence.

‘The Unity Door Handle’, by Connor Peter Musoke-Jones

An inclusive door handle that has been developed with sufferers of various hand and arm disabilities to be as intuitive as it is beautiful.

New Medical device , Dr Tsong Kwong of GWMV Ltd

An alternative approach in the field of medicine to benefit practitioners and healthcare systems.

‘NuCath’, Nawar Al-Zebari of Urologic Ltd

A new catheter that uses smart technology and a simple design, cheaper to allow for better drainage. Aimed at lowering the 500,000 urinary tract infections contracted per year in the UK, and their estimated £2.7bn cost to the NHS annually

‘Spacelink’, Mark Singleton of Startlink Systems Ltd

A truss system that allows fibreglass to be joined together as a usable building material to outperform steel both in terms of weight and environmental impact.

‘Smart Carbon Monoxide Detector’, Billy Mitchell and Scott Wallace of Smart Compliance

Uses mobile phone technology to self-test (weekly) and report (per individual postal address) to a web portal ensuring that landlords comply with their legal obligations. It has already saved 2 lives.

Photos: Beth Crockat