Irish student receives the James Dyson Award for ski boot design

A Dublin art design student has been presented with the Irish James Dyson Award for Design for his revolutionary new ski boot.

Brian Byrne, a National Collage of Art and Design (NCAD) student from Dundrum in Co. Dublin says he was inspired to create the Flip Ski Boot design after years of discomfort with existing ski-boot models.

"I had skied all my life and I always had a problem with the ski boot. It was uncomfortable and impeded movement when walking on the mountains.

“My flip ski boot addresses these problems. You have more control and less pain. Also you can easily step out of the boot into a lighter boot for walking around," the designer said.

The Irish student was presented with a check for $2,800 (€2,000) for his prize.

Dyson said "The award is an opportunity for new designers to demonstrate adventurous thinking and the ability to work meticulously around a problem."

Earlier this year another inventive Irish student was shortlisted for the international James Dyson Award for his oxygen delivery system called Flo2w.

James D'Arcy, a former student of the University of Limerick designed a new way of delivering oxygen to a patient. With over 500 entries from 21 countries around the world, D'Arcy bet off stiff competition from global designers. The overall winner was the Longreach Buoyancy Deployment System, designed by Australian student Sam Adeloju.