Irish student's clever invention shortlisted for global James Dyson Award 2026

Discreet emergency wristband supports the safety of mental health nurses 06:30, 14 Oct 2026 Irish student Ella Flanagan has been shortlisted into the global top 20 for the James Dyson Award 2026. ‌ ‌ Her invention Noli supports the safety of mental health nurses with a discreet emergency wristband. ‌ Ella Flanagan, inventor of Noli hopes that one day the bracelet can protect staff members in the way they should have been. ‌ Ella, who studies Product Design at TU Dublin, said: “Winning the James Dyson National Award is truly a pinch me moment. “Ireland is full of such talented emerging designers so having my work recognised at this level gives me tremendous confidence as I enter the industry. “The funding will be vital in taking Noli to the next stage of development, but equal to that it gives me such amazing publicity and recognition to prove it’s worth an investment” ‌ Noli will now enter the final stage of the James Dyson Award, with global winners to be selected by James Dyson on November 4. The winning inventions will receive €35,000 to support their further development. Noli has already taken home €5,800 from the James Dyson Award national prize in Ireland. The problem Noli set out to achieve ‌ Traditionally, in mental health hospitals, nurses are trained to press a wall-mounted alarm button to call for assistance during an emergency. However, this visible method of requesting help can sometimes escalate an already tense situation and increase the risk of aggression towards staff. Inspired by her own family's experiences working in mental health care, Ella recognised the need for a safer, more discreet solution. This led to the creation of Noli, a device designed to rethink how nurses call for support in high-risk situations. With a simple pull of a discreet wristband, Noli sends a proximity-based alert to nearby colleagues, enabling them to respond quickly without drawing attention. If additional support is required and no response is received, the system automatically escalates the alert to a wider network of staff, ensuring help is always within reach. ‌ What happens next This year’s global finalists were selected by a panel of 12 Dyson engineers based in the UK, US, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. They bring a wide range of expertise, from product design, mechanical engineering, electronics, sustainability and chemical engineering. Each invention was evaluated on its functionality, design process, originality, and commercial viability. Kay Yeong, Principal Engineer and James Dyson Award Top 20 Judge said: “The James Dyson Awards always attracts entries from a broad spectrum of areas, and this year no less so! This keeps things interesting, but it can be difficult to choose between say a children’s health device and a geoengineering structure. My favourite entries are those that surface problems that I didn’t know needed solving and this is something that a lot of the top 20 have in common. It is precisely these kinds of thought-provoking insights that are needed to help us invent practical, everyday solutions to improve lives. I’m excited to see who takes home the global prize." Ella will continue to develop and test Noli, collaborating with health innovators while the technology progresses through the patent-pending stage. Her ambition is to see Noli adopted in mental health settings, helping to create safer environments for both staff and patients. Article continues below The judges' view Olivia Humphreys, one of the James Dyson Award Ireland national judges, said: “Ella identified a problem through personal experience and created something that not only addresses it effectively but has the potential to be scaled across so many other applications.” In 2024, Olivia was the first Irish winner of the global James Dyason Award. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here .