Ella Flanagan will move on to the final stage of the judging process, where her invention has the potential to bag the top spot and €35,000.

Technological University Dublin graduate Ella Flanagan has found herself on the shortlist for the global top 20 at this year’s James Dyson Awards, for her invention Noli. 

Noli is a discreet, proximity-based wristband that enables the wearer to quietly signal that they need help in an emergency, by pulling and holding on the strap. It was designed primarily for mental health nurses. Flanagan pulled inspiration from her own family’s experiences, many of whom work in the mental health sector. 

She said: “The majority of my family are mental health nurses, and every one of them have been assaulted in one form or another. I’ve grown up hearing stories of clips falling off or not wanting to cause a panic, showing such an extreme lack of safety within the service. 

“Witnessing this emotional and physical burden steered me away from nursing and into design, a clear example of how these issues don’t just affect staff now, but the potential future staff too.

“I created Noli to show nurses they are heard and respected, with the hope that one day Noli will allow them to go to work not worrying about a basic human right – their own safety.”

To function, Noli uses a Bluetooth low-energy hybrid mesh network, which can work independently of Wi-Fi latency and congestion. 

“Pulling the strap exerts pressure on an internal button hidden in a cavity beneath the screen,” said Flanagan. “Holding for three seconds triggers a coded button, making alerts highly discreet and intuitive during panic.”

A tracking node continuously broadcasts the wearer’s signal and fixed nodes are scattered around a building at 20-metre intervals to automatically catch data packets from alerting wristbands and pass them peer-to-peer until they reach the master node.

Signal strengths can be analysed to calculate precise distances, sending targeted alerts to the three closest staff wristband wearers. 

Flanagan is of the opinion that existing systems lack finesse, as many are either wall mounted or depend on fine motor skills, which often lack discretion and could risk further agitating an already upset patient. The simplicity of Noli can allow the wearer to continue to engage with the patient, while also signalling for help, from those close by. 

The invention is a National Scholarship Recipient from the HSE’s Spark Innovation programme as well as National Innovation Award Winner in the HSE’s Design on the Frontline Competition. 

Noli will now progress to the final stage of judging, where James Dyson will review Flanagan’s work and she will be in with a chance to win €35,000. 

Zoë O’Sullivan, a bachelor of science graduate from Maynooth University, was the Ireland national winner last year, for her invention Lymphia, which is a manual lymphatic drainage model that helps to prevent lymphoedema.

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