Since electric wheelchairs don't run forever, users will often still rely on a manual version for getting around the house. But depending on their physical condition, switching between devices can be difficult. So the IWA, or Independent Wheelchair Assist, adds a temporary electric drive to any chair.

What's in the water down under? This is the second year in a row an Aussie has won the James Dyson Award, with both designs also aiming to save lives — albeit in very different ways. This year's winning product is Airdrop, a network of pipes that sucks water from the air and irrigates drought-stricken Australia with…

One of the James Dyson Award entrants, Stefan Zwegers, thinks it's the latter, which is why his Sensible Music invention turns bass into vibrations when listening to music through headphones.

Imagine looking at Google Maps on your tablet, and feeling one corner grow heavier where your destination is located. Or reading an ebook on your phone, and being aware of the fatter side of the book.

Sir James Dyson, inventor of perhaps the most recognizable consumer vacuum on the market today, is completely comfortable with failure. He's good at it—failure I mean—but most great inventors are.

A buoyancy aid from Australia has won this year's James Dyson Award, which battled alongside 14 amazing finalists. Made from hydrophobic foam which expands in the water, the Longreach aid can be fired 150m out to sea to save lives.

There are just four days until the international winner of the James Dyson Awards is announced from one of the following 15 finalists. Some amazing inventions are up for it, including that water sterilization bottle from the UK.

An English graduate has won this year's James Dyson Award, which is a coveted design award in the UK. Taking on the noble challenge of finding a cure for water sterilization, Timothy Whitehead's bottle cleans water in just 2mins flat.

I've seen kids zooming about on Heeleys, but Treadways' motorized shoes are firmly for Adult Use Only. The designer has entered them into the annual James Dyson Awards, and if successful could be put on the market. No more walking!

Sir James Dyson, the man behind the bagless vacuum and the bladeless fan, designs products that solve problems. We caught up with him and talked about one of the biggest engineering problems the world currently faces: the Gulf oil disaster.