Compact device for diabetes patients wins James Dyson Award for S'pore

For Ms Zoey Chan, getting diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2022 when she was just 20 years old precipitated a number of lifestyle changes, not least of which was the need to jab herself with insulin three to five times a day.

- Zhaki Abdullah

Ms Chan soon realised carrying an insulin pen and several needles around every day came with its own challenges, including having to carry around used needles which need to be disposed of in hard, puncture-resistant containers with secure lids—together with their caps.

To make the process of daily injections safer and easier for those with Type 1 diabetes, she developed a compact device that can safely organise and eject insulin needles, and called it Nido—an acronym for neat insulin daily organiser and a homophone for the word "needle".

For her invention, Ms Chan was named the 2025 winner of the James Dyson Award for Singapore, winning $8,400 to support Nido's development.

The international design competition—held annually since 2005 by the James Dyson Foundation, the consumer electronics firm's charitable trust—recognises innovative ideas developed by current design engineering students in the fields of product design, industrial design and engineering, as well as those who recently graduated.

Ms Chan's entry and two runners-up for the competition will progress to the awards' next stage. The international shortlist of 20, selected by a global team of Dyson engineers, will be announced on Oct 15.