Scalp Cooling for Chemo Patients: Athena Wins James Dyson Award 2024

Athena, a portable, affordable scalp-cooling device, has been named the global Medical winner of the 2024 James Dyson Award. Designed by Irish inventor Olivia Humphreys, the wearable aims to reduce hair loss for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Reducing Chemo Hair Loss

Chemotherapy frequently causes hair loss, affecting 65-99% of patients. Cooling the scalp before, during, and after treatment can mitigate this side effect and help hair regrow faster. However, existing scalp cooling is expensive, painful, and limited to hospitals. Athena solves these problems with a battery-powered design that patients can use at home or while commuting. Key features include:

• A cooling headpiece that fits different head shapes.
• A Thermoelectric system that cools a water tank.
• Circulating chilled water around the scalp.
• A Portable case weighing about 3kg Up to 3.5 hours of battery life per charge.

Humphreys estimates Athena will cost around €1,000, just 5% of hospital scalp-cooling systems starting at €20,000. This makes the treatment much more affordable and accessible to patients. “It’s a low-cost alternative available to everybody, with the potential to make a real difference,” said James Dyson, founder of Dyson and the James Dyson Award.

For Humphreys, the mission is personal. She began developing Athena after seeing her own mother struggle with hair loss during cancer treatment in 2019. “My mum inspired this journey, and it’s incredibly emotional and rewarding to have my project reach this level,” said Humphreys. “The recognition from the James Dyson Award validates not just my efforts, but also the stories and insights shared by people who’ve experienced cancer treatment.” With the £30,000 prize money, Humphreys plans to further develop Athena and bring the device to market to help chemo patients keep their hair with minimal expense and inconvenience.

The James Dyson Award is an international student design competition that supports inventions from young engineers and scientists. In addition to Athena, the 2024 awards recognized the airXeed Radiosonde weather sensor as the Sustainability winner. Nearly twenty years after launching the competition, James Dyson said, “It’s wonderfully encouraging to see how many students have solutions to severe global problems. Instead of sitting back and talking about it, they’re doing something about it—and that’s what the James Dyson Award encourages.”