Department of Public Works and Transport in Oudomxay Province has estimated that more than LAK 60 billion will be required to rebuild roads damaged by the flooding caused by tropical storm Ma-on. They expect to finish construction within two years.
Hong Kong James Dyson Award winning design offers personalized vision care and easy eye physiotherapy at home
Easy-to-use non-invasive wearable device could prevent development of glaucoma in mild and pre-glaucoma patients
- Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss affecting about 80 million people worldwide[1] and every year 3.6 million people lose their vision permanently due to the eye disease. It is also the leading cause of registered, permanent blindness in Hong Kong (23%)[2].
- Caused by interocular pressure (IOP) on the optic nerve, glaucoma is painless and progresses slowly, however there are no preventative therapies to reverse glaucoma.
- Current therapeutic approaches to preserve failing vision involve reducing IOP, but are only available for diagnosed patients and may involve invasive surgery or daily doses of eyedrops that may have side effects
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – This year’s Hong Kong national James Dyson Award winner attempts to find a new solution to solve this problem.

O_Oley is non-invasive, physiotherapy device that can stop the development of glaucoma in mild and pre-glaucoma patients. Users wear a set of comfortable curved-shell goggles for contactless thermal stretching of their eyes. Through customisable adjustments, the device actively stretches the ocular muscles of the eye, enhances tear secretion and improves ocular compliance.
Comprising a corneal tissue compliance improvement (CTCI) system and multiple visible and IR spectrums to increase the temperature of the ocular tissue, the O_Oley boosts blood circulation and induces relaxing thermal stretching of the ocular tissue to strengthen its ability to withstand intra-ocular pressure. This reduces stress in the ocular tissues and decreases the risk of optic nerve damage caused by glaucoma.
Unlike other treatments for glaucoma for diagnosed patients, O_Oley is non-invasive and offers a comfortable warming therapeutic experience suitable for home use.
The Inventor
O_Oley was designed by a team from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, comprising Kin Nam Kwok (leader), Kwun Chung Chan, Minji Seo and Yuen Yin Leung.
The HKUST team hopes their design can help reduce the global prevalence of glaucoma with an easy-to-use device that can be adjusted for different users’ needs and is comfortable enough to keep using on a daily basis.
Winning the Hong Kong national leg of the James Dyson Award will inject £5,000 into the O_Oley project, enabling the team to patent their design and kickstart a startup so they can make O_Oley smaller, lighter, and more effective.
Kin Nam Kwok says: “Our passion and curiosity helped brainstorm and bring ideas together for this device. Inspired by hot yoga, our team decided to explore the same concept for healthy eyes. Further inspired by Dyson’s bladeless fan, we implemented contactless inductive stretching, rather than full contact stretching like commercial ocular massagers.”
Steve Yeung, Hong Kong judge: “While built-up eye pressure is the major risk factor of glaucoma, I am glad to see O_Oley present a wise approach that utilizes regulated negative pressure and IR irradiation to ease such conditions. Its goggle-format design is commendable because it makes this therapy possible at home and encourages patients to keep performing the treatment without strain. This is a promising solution and good news for all glaucoma patients.”
The first engineering and clinical prototype of O_Oley took the form of swimming goggles with a flat crystal sheet at front that allowed the team to monitor ocular conditions under different stretching levels. By 3D scanning a face model the team could test and examine the fit of various goggle shapes. For the commercial prototype, they simplified the design, making it more comfortable and robust.
The O_Oley will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award and the O_Oley team aims to commercialise this product. The team wants to get user feedback to improve the interface and functionality and hopes to build personalized exercise protocols on top of the design based on the users’ conditions and ocular health. The team also wants to develop a mobile app to make the customization process easier and more enjoyable for the users.
The International shortlist will be announced on 12th October, and the International winners on 16th November.
The Runners Up
Problem: Dysgraphia is a learning disorder associated with impaired writing ability. People with dysgraphia have difficulty with writing legibly and quickly. Estimated to affect 10% of the global population, including James Dyson, diagnosis for Chinese speakers with dysgraphia involves lengthy assessments by psychologists.
Solution: PreDyctor is the world’s first dysgraphia identifier for Chinese language handwriting. It offers a quick and low-cost pre-screening system that can assess Chinese characters and estimate the chance that the writer has dysgraphia. PreDyctor analyses handwriting using two independent models: a rule-based scoring model and a similarity-based comparison model. It then aggregates the outputs of the two models to estimate the probability that the user has dysgraphia. PreDyctor can identify Chinese-speaking children with dysgraphia for early intervention programs.
James Dyson Award
The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson, to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, the James Dyson Foundation and James Dyson Award encourage aspiring engineers, to apply their knowledge and discover new ways to improve lives through technology. To date, James Dyson has contributed over £140m to boundary-breaking concepts in education and other charitable causes. The James Dyson Award has supported over 300 inventions with prize money, and is run by the James Dyson Foundation, an engineering-education charity funded by Dyson profits.
Hashtag: #JamesDysonAward
The James Dyson Foundation
The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson, to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The competition has supported over 300 inventions with prize money, and is run by
the James Dyson Foundation, an engineering-education charity funded by Dyson profits.
The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Foundation’s work encourage aspiring engineers and problem solvers, to apply their knowledge and discover new ways to improve lives through technology. To date, James and the James Dyson Foundation have contributed over £140m to boundary-breaking concepts in education and other charitable causes.
The Foundation has a website,
Instagram,
Twitter and
YouTube.
Recent past winners
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2021 International winner – HOPES (Singapore) – A device for pain-free, at-home eye pressure testing, opening up access to glaucoma testing, by students of the National University of Singapore.
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2021 Sustainability winner – Plastic Scanner (Netherlands) – A low-cost, handheld device to identify plastic for recycling, by Jerry de Vos from TU Delft.
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2021 Medical winner – REACT (GB) – A device to stem bleeding to help save the lives of stabbing victims, by Joseph Bentley from Loughborough university.
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2020 International winner – The Blue Box (Spain) – Invented by 23-year-old Judit Giró Benet, The Blue Box is a new way to detect breast cancer, at-home, using a urine sample and an AI algorithm.
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2020 Sustainability winner – AuREUS System Technology (The Philippines) – Invented by 27-year-old Carvey Ehren Maigue, AuREUS is a new material, made from waste crop, which converts UV light into renewable energy.
About the competition
The brief
Design something that solves a problem. This problem may be a frustration that we all face in daily life, or a global issue. The important thing is that the solution is effective and demonstrates considered design thinking.
The process
Entries are judged first at the national level by a panel of external judges and a Dyson engineer. Each operating market awards a National winner and two National runners-up. From these winners, a panel of Dyson engineers then select an international shortlist of 20 entries. The top 20 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects his international winners.
The prize
- International winners, chosen by Sir James Dyson, awarded up to £30,000.
- International runners-up receive £5,000.
- Each National winner receives £5,000.
The deadline to apply: midnight PST on 6 July 2022.
How to enter
Candidates enter through an online application form via the James Dyson Award website.
Entrants should explain what their invention is, how it works, and their development process. The best entries solve a real problem, are clearly explained, show iterative development, provide evidence of prototyping and have supporting imagery and a video.
All judges will take into consideration the restrictions to prototyping and product development as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eligibility criteria
Entrants must be, or have been within the last four years, enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate engineering/design related course. This course must be at a university in a country or region chosen to participate in the James Dyson Award.
In the case of team entries, all members must be or have been within the last four years, enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate programme at a university in a country or region chosen to participate in the James Dyson Award. At least one team member must have studied an eligible subject in engineering or design. Those participating in a degree level apprenticeship at Level 6 or Level 7, and those who have completed said apprenticeship in the past four years, are eligible to enter the award.
Further FAQs can be found on the James Dyson Award website.
Fire at Vietnam Karaoke Parlor Kills 12 People

The unfortunate incident took place in Southern Binh Duong Province and seven people also suffered injuries while trying to escape the fire.
Cellini Ranked No. 1 for Customer Service in the Premium Furniture Retail Sector in Singapore
Cellini beats major brands to top the rankings as Singapore’s best customer service provider in the Home Goods industry under the Premium Furniture Retail category. Recognised for its reputation, presence and availability in Singapore as well as other evaluation criteria, the home-grown designer brand trumped over 1,600 brands across 93 categories and took the top spot in the survey conducted by The Straits Times and the world’s leading data and business intelligence portal, Statista. With an illustrious 36-year-long award-winning history, being the highest-ranking premium furniture retail brand sets Cellini up as a brand to keep an eye for not only their exquisite craftsmanship but also excellence in offering great customer experiences.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – To identify Singapore’s best customer service retailers and service providers, The Straits Times partnered with a global data firm to conduct an inaugural survey that sampled thousands of customers. Assessed anonymously by registered participants as well as customers in Singapore, brands that aced quality of communication, professional competency, range of services, customer focus, accessibility, and the likelihood of recommendation were given the highest scores in each retail category — one of which, was Cellini. Placing great emphasis on customer satisfaction and paying attention to every detail throughout the entire buying experience, Cellini’s unwavering resilience in helping customers build their dream home in every way possible is spotlighted through this achievement.

Acclimatising to the Shifting Customer Expectations
Committed to offering quality homegrown designer furniture that transforms spaces through unique sculptural artistic expressions, Cellini has been making waves since its inception in 1986. Being a market leader in modern and contemporary furniture in Singapore, the furniture brand has long understood the impact that good customer service has on buying decisions. With both a strong digital presence and multiple furniture showrooms across the country, the company has made its fresh furniture designs accessible to the masses. The smallest attention to detail in its customer services such as the presence of a dedicated service for mattress selection at its mattress boutique in its brand-new The Centrepoint outlet has established the brand as a go-to design hub that goes to great lengths to cater to its customer’s needs. Beyond its trained representatives that offer a personalised connection, Cellini also boasts accessibility measures such as helplines, virtual showrooms, and more, indicating its dedication to striving for efficiency at every touch point.
It is these successes garnered in building its customer experience that pushed for Cellini’s position on the “Singapore’s Best Customer Service 2022/23” list. Having surveyed over 4,700 customers, more than 1,600 selected brands underwent a rigorous evaluation process through online access panels and open online surveys prior to the announcement. Among the chosen 93 organisations that came out on top, Cellini is one of the select few given the honours to hold their own in the overall top position against some recognisable names in the premium furniture retail sector.
Bringing the distinct Cellini architectural aesthetic to the homes of its customers through short delivery lead times and excellent customer service, Cellini’s pursuit for better enjoyment of its brand, product range, and experience is one worthy of celebration and recognition.
Hashtag: #Cellini
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Cellini Singapore:
Cellini is a home-grown designer furniture brand in Singapore. Investing in state-of-the-art technology, Cellini’s furniture showrooms boast specially curated pieces that are second-to-none in terms of quality craftsmanship. It has also expanded its services to offer timeless furniture pieces across Asia, in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan, in addition to making its mark as a successful e-commerce business. For more information, please visit: https://www.cellini.com.sg/.
Avone Beauty Secrets’s First-Ever Non-Invasive Henna Brows Artistry Received 3 Awards By Daily Vanity
As a pain-free alternative to traditional microblading eyebrow embroidery techniques, Avone Beauty Secrets has introduced their Henna Brows Crowning Artistry service for clients to achieve fuller, well-defined brows. Unlike conventional eyebrow henna tinting which may last for only a couple of weeks, the beauty salon’s Henna Brows service allow individuals to have natural-looking brows for months. This particular technique utilises various colour shades of henna formulations from Turkey to achieve fine and natural feather-like hair strokes that are delicately drawn on by a professional brow specialist. The process of the Henna Brows Crowning Artistry is similar to that of the other brow embroidery services offered by the company, except that no lesions are caused at all. A professional brow specialist will assess and design the best brow shape and colour according to the client’s facial structure, skin tone, skin condition and preferences.
Avone Beauty Secrets is an award-winning beauty salon in Singapore that has been recognised for their revolutionary Korean eyebrow embroidery services that are a result of the comprehensive research the company engaged in together with the International Semi-Permanent Association in Korea. The company offers a range of beauty services, including brow embroidery, lash extensions and lifts, facials, hair treatments, body treatments and even nail services. Avone Beauty Secrets primarily focuses their advertising for their services through YouTube and Google advertisements.
Since their incorporation in 2011, the company has since grown to become one of the leading beauty and wellness service providers in the country. Throughout the years, they have been awarded multiple awards by Harper’s Bazaar, HerWorld Singapore, Cleo, Women’s Weekly and more. Having recently been awarded 3 awards by Daily Vanity for their Henna Brows Crowning Artistry, the company strives to continue providing quality services for all their clients across their 11 outlets island-wide.
For more information about their Henna Brows services, do visit: https://www.avone.sg/brows-crowning/ and for more details on Avone Beauty Secrets, you can find them here: https://avone.sg/.
Hashtag: #AvoneBeautySecrets
NannyStreet Launches New Mobile App To Simplify The Confinement Nanny Hiring Process For Parents
Available on iOS and Android, the app is a mobile-friendly platform that will allow parents to match and hire confinement nannies directly through their mobile devices. It will be the first nanny marketplace in Singapore, simplifying the hiring process into three simple steps: Search, Interview and Pay Deposit.
Parents may search according to their preferences for a confinement nanny who will stay in or out or a babysitter who will look after the child over an extended period. The nanny will be matched based on the stated estimated due date, period of service, and other terms after considering all pertinent information. Parents may use the app text messages or video call function to directly communicate with nannies to negotiate job descriptions, compensation, and other special requests to ensure both parties are in agreement. Once an agreement and an offer have been made, the nanny’s deposit will be paid with a credit card by the parents.
Advantages Of NannyStreet’s App
NannyStreet offers the benefits of an agency where the deposit is secured under one platform. Parents will not undergo tedious administrative paperwork such as permit applications, social visit pass extensions, and confinement nanny insurance.
Parents will be able to have an easier time matching and hiring nanny services through the NannyStreet app due to a user-friendly interface connecting them to the nanny marketplace. In addition to confinement nannies, families can use the app to contract the services of transfer helpers in Singapore, or hire a part-time confinement nanny instead of living with stay-in confinement nannies. Additionally, parents can sign up for postnatal massage home services to help them relax during their confinement period or prenatal massages in Singapore to relieve them during the pregnancy stage.
The Current Confinement Nanny Market In Singapore
The confinement nanny market in Singapore has remained unchanged for an extended period, where parents have minimal engagement with their nanny candidates before their confinement period. This often leads to conflict between parties due to the lack of direct communication to discuss job descriptions, salary, and other unique requests to ensure both parties are on the same page.
Due to the circuit breaker measures implemented in 2020, the supply chain of confinement nannies was disrupted and caused a steep price hike, adding to the already high nanny cost. Even though the government has lifted all restrictions and reopened the border, the prices have not returned to pre-Covid levels. An increase in nanny fees led parents to hire freelance confinement nannies, who were not subject to any industry standards or regulations, resulting in situations such as nannies who did not turn up after receiving a client’s deposit.
This situation urged NannyStreet to develop Singapore’s first confinement nanny platform.
Ideation Behind Rebranding An Agency As A Confinement Nanny Platform
The idea came about when co-founder Mr Louis Looi’s wife delivered a newborn during the early days of Covid-19 when nanny prices soared due to the economy suffering from the pandemic. Through this, he understood how costly the rising nanny prices could negatively impact families. He tapped into his expansive nanny network and negotiated for a more competitive price. – it even led to new aim of revolutionising the entire confinement nanny industry by sharing his nanny network with parents, who would then be able to negotiate with multiple nannies for better prices and terms for themselves. Alongside his co-founder Mr Bradley Loi, the two was able to develop an application that combines the best features of the confinement nanny agency and freelance nanny.
Formerly known as Homey Confinement, NannyStreet was founded by Mr Bradley Loi and Mr Louis Looi over four years ago and has been in the confinement nanny agency business ever since.
An approved confinement nanny agency by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), NannyStreet provides an all-inclusive service by hiring nannies who have undergone a strict screening process and background check. Parents can hire nanny services such as babysitting, prenatal and postnatal massages, confinement nannies, and transfer maids through one single platform. Designed with parents in mind, the platform strives to support parents and ease the process in finding the ideal confinement nanny through a simple user interface.
For more information, please visit https://www.nannystreet.com/, and for more details on their confinement nanny services, please visit https://www.nannystreet.com/confinement-nanny-singapore/.
Hashtag: #NannyStreet
FastLane Group Launched Partnership Program to Connect Different Cloud Solution and Services Providers
The program aims to deliver professional corporate services in areas like accounting, audit, tax filing and payroll, to assist the startups and SME community to embrace technology and become paperless in their operations while empowering them with the ability to stay complaint, flexible, efficient and competitive with FastLane’s assistance of moving towards the adoption of cloud-based systems and exclusive offers and discounts offered by FastLane’s partners.
FastLane is actively seeking collaborations with service providers offering cloud-based solutions, including Deel, Yoov and Webjoy Hong Kong. To further reduce clients’ costs while maintaining their efficiency in all aspects of business operations, including accounting, audit, tax filing, human resources and payroll management, FastLane offers exclusive offers, training and discounts to their clients.
In addition, FastLane has been expanding its partnership program and network to support the startup and SME community through their partners in other essential areas such as legal, co-working space, marketing solutions such as Ellalan, Ooosh and Votee.
FastLane Group’s 9-year experience of providing professional advisory and accounting services to SME’s with the use of innovative software like Xero enables the understanding of the financial and cashflow management issues encountered by the SME community, and is eager to help entrepreneurs to be successful while remaining lean and flexible.
FastLane’s professional hong kong accounting services, payroll and cloud solution advisory services can help transform and grow businesses. FastLane offers tailor-made cloud-based solutions by collaborating with cloud-based SMEs to enable SME’s to focus on revenue-driving initiatives and automate operations, rather than on addressing time-consuming, non-core business tasks.
With FastLane Group’s continuous effort in seeking partnerships and its emphasis on providing excellent corporate services particularly for SME and startups including hong kong accounting services and MPF and payroll services to start-ups and SME’s, the FastLane team is passionate to guide start-ups / SME’s journey along business success.
To learn more, please visit https://fastlanepro.hk/.
Hashtag: #FastLane
Sapphire Technologies to Generate Electricity Using Waste Energy at Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal in Japan
This project marks Sapphire Technologies’ plans to harness wasted pressure energy on a global scale
CERRITOS, US – News Direct – 6 September 2022 – Sapphire Technologies, developer and manufacturer of pressure energy recovery systems, and TB Global Technologies Ltd., have installed first-of-kind FreeSpin® In-Line Turboexpanders which are under completion at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Japan. The FreeSpin systems are designed to generate electricity using waste energy from natural gas pressure letdown at the terminal station.
The two FreeSpin® In-Line Turboexpanders are designed to generate a combined 405 kilowatts of power and a maximum of 3.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year; in turn offsetting 2,700 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, comparable to 5,700 barrels of oil consumed. FreeSpin systems are planned to be installed throughout the natural gas network, providing operators with a cost-effective solution to generate high-value electricity.
“We have great respect for TB Global Technologies Ltd., and we’re thrilled to be working with a company with such impressive experience in LNG technologies,” said Freddie Sarhan, CEO at Sapphire Technologies. “We plan on continuing to develop new and cost effective solutions to harness wasted pressure energy on a global scale.”
Sapphire Technologies is driving global decarbonization through developing and manufacturing energy recovery systems that harness the power of gas expansion to produce reliable and clean electricity. Sapphire Technologies’ systems are designed to convert energy wasted in pressure reduction processes into electric power without interrupting operations. By recovering this wasted pressure energy, Sapphire Technologies helps customers reduce carbon emissions, meet ESG goals, offset electrical costs and achieve substantial financial returns. For additional information visit: https://www.sapphiretechnologies.com.
Hashtag: #SapphireTechnologies