Asia Pacific University (APU) lives up to its standing by seeing a win for the James Dyson Award (Malaysia) 2020 after Product Design students, Kuan Weiking and Theodore Garvindeo Seah, showcased their innovative brilliance with a sustainable, zero electricity cooler fridge, ‘KUNO’.

Run by the James Dyson Foundation, The James Dyson Award is an international competition that encourages budding inventors and engineers to develop tangible products that can change the world. The competition sees participants from 27 countries worldwide battle it out for a grand cash prize of RM150,000.

As the national winner and inventor of KUNO, Kuan and Seah will now compete for one of the Top 20 global finalist positions among entries from other 27 participating countries. The final 20 entries will be inspected in detail by the industrial designer and founder of Dyson Ltd, James Dyson himself.

Speaking about their inspiration for their design, Kuan and Seah explained that they wanted to design an eco-friendly alternative to the conventional refrigerator that doesn’t require electricity to function to cater to those living in rural areas where electricity was not as accessible.

KUNO uses an evaporative cooling technique by utilising porous earth clay, a bowl for planting and regular watering. The process works by filling sand in the passage in-between the earth clay walls, then water will be poured to soak in the sand. The evaporation of the water will then draw the heat away from the inner chamber through the porous clay. This method will decrease the temperature, cooling the food and keeping it fresh for an extended period.

It is no small feat for these Product Design students to be able to have made a significant mark in the world of sustainability. Here’s hoping they take home the grand prize in the finals!

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