Overview of the James Dyson Award and its Significance
The James Dyson Award, an international competition driven by the James Dyson Foundation, seeks to reward innovative engineering solutions addressing everyday or global challenges. The award offers prizes up to 756,000 Mexican pesos. Three Mexican projects have advanced to the international semifinal stage, competing for a spot in the top 20 global list, which will be announced on October 15, and the global winners on November 5.
Mexican Engineering Excellence in the James Dyson Award 2025
Mexican engineering has made a strong impression in the international science and technology scene with three noteworthy projects for their ingenuity, social impact, and commitment to innovation. Alejandro Aguilar from the Universidad Sabes Celaya was named the national winner for his OpticalApp project, while Lifecore and Rho were recognized as national finalists.
OpticalApp: The National Winner
Alejandro Aguilar, an information technology engineering student in Guanajuato, won the 20th James Dyson Award in Mexico for his OpticalApp project. This mobile application diagnoses 28 retinal diseases and overall eye health in under 30 seconds using only one retina image.
Aguilar learned about the competition from content creator Aziel Medina and decided to try his hand at it after an idea struck him. He found a more fertile ground in ophthalmology, partly because his mother diagnoses such conditions.
Aguilar researched AI models detecting eye diseases but, unsatisfied with any, created his own. The first prototype was made of cardboard, but for the contest phase, he designed one using 3D printing.
Unlike other medical applications requiring internet or expensive hardware, OpticalApp functions offline, is available in three languages (Spanish, English, and French), and targets users with no medical knowledge.
Vision impairment is a public health issue in Mexico, where 45.8% of people with disabilities face difficulties seeing. Moreover, glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness globally and half of Mexico’s 1.5 million glaucoma patients are unaware of their condition. Early diagnosis and proper access to ophthalmological services could prevent 80% of blindness cases.
OpticalApp will receive 126,000 Mexican pesos for further development and commercialization.
Rho: A Revolutionary Menstrual Underwear
Evelyn Gisele Ramírez Chávez, from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, was one of the national finalists with her Rho project. Her innovation is a menstrual underwear that stands out due to its pattern distributing the menstrual flow, preventing leaks, infections, and wetness.
This design extends the product’s usage cycle and targets women living on the streets or working as street vendors. Ramírez Chávez’s project emerged from her personal experience, sensitized to the challenges many women face managing their menstruation in vulnerable conditions.
Rho is designed to absorb menstrual flow efficiently and prolong usage time, reducing the risk of leaks and infections. Its unique selling point is its layered structure, incorporating materials like merino wool, hydrophilic polyester, Zorb®, and Tencel™, along with an exclusive internal pattern inspired by biological networks that distribute menstrual flow evenly.
This design keeps the skin dry and cool for longer, offering an accessible and safe alternative for women with limited access to menstrual hygiene products.
Ramírez Chávez recently graduated and hopes the award’s recognition will boost her exposure, helping her portfolio and curriculum stand out in the industry.
Lifecore: An Efficient Heart Transportation System
The third national finalist, Lifecore, was created by a team from the Universidad Iberoamericana: María José Gutiérrez, Rina Green, Elihan Guerrero, Galilea Reyes, Eugenio Merigo, Sharon Rodriguez, and Dana Bernstein.
Lifecore is an efficient and affordable system for transporting hearts intended for transplants. In Mexico, the common practice for transporting these organs is using single-cell coolers with crushed ice, which poses a risk to heart viability.
Lifecore emerges as a low-cost, high-performance alternative designed to maintain a uniform and stable temperature during transit, even on uneven terrain.
The system is made of thermoformed PET and 3D-printed PLA, ensuring airtight sealing and adequate physical protection. Its main advantage is its technologically efficient and economically viable solution, tailored for hospitals without access to specialized organ transportation systems.
Next Steps for the Mexican Teams
The three projects will proceed to the international semifinal stage of the James Dyson Award. The list of 20 global finalists, chosen by a team of Dyson engineers, will be announced on October 15. Global winners, selected by Sir James Dyson, will be revealed on November 5.
Apart from global exposure and recognition, global winners will each receive 30,000 British pounds. National winners will get 5,000 British pounds.
For the Mexican teams, this stage presents an opportunity to gain visibility, advance their projects, and connect with the industry.
