Arjun B S and Ajay Krishnan A, students of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), are the national winners of the prestigious James Dyson Award 2022. Their unique innovation, EpiSHOT, is a reusable epinephrine autoinjector for patients suffering from a severe and potentially fatal systemic allergic reaction that occurs suddenly after contact with an allergen

Arjun and Ajay will receive prize money of about Rs 4.6 Lakhs. They will also represent India in the international round, where final winners will be handpicked by James Dyson, the English inventor, industrial engineer, and billionaire entrepreneur who founded the company Dyson. James Dyson is best known as the inventor of the dual cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation. The Dyson Dual Cyclone, Wikipedia says, became the fastest selling vacuum cleaner ever made in the UK.

The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by the inventor to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The award encourages students across 28 countries to use clever yet simple engineering principles that address clear problems.

Arjun says India till date does not have an immediate solution to anaphylaxis (allergic reactions, some of which can be life-threatening). “Due to existing market monopolies, huge price tags of single-use autoinjector, and safety concerns for self-use,  there remains a great need for a safe and co-efficient solution. EpiSHOT aims to bridge the gap,” he says.

Ajay says they added a safety cap to the single-hand-operated autoinjector to prevent accidental injection, they added an automatic needle retraction mechanism, and designed the syringe cartridge to prevent exposure to bodily fluids.