Young inventor Jorja Suga holding her award-winning Safety Smart Goggles.
Budding Liverpool inventor Jorja Suga is working towards securing a patent for her latest award-winning invention, The EpinJect – a needle-free epinephrine injection to treat anaphylaxis.
The EpinJect proposes to diminish thousands of needle-related injuries that occur every year when treating anaphylaxis by administering a high-pressure stream of adrenaline directly into the person which is effective within minutes.
Ms Suga, a year nine student at Clancy Catholic College in West Hoxton, said her needle-free solution addresses the limitations of existing products in the market and is easy and safe to use, empowering anyone young or old to save a life.
The EpinJect won the 2020 Aussie Student Inventions competition in the Lower Secondary Category, hosted by educational resources platform ClickView in partnership with the producers of the TV program Aussie Inventions That Changed The World.
As part of the prize package, Ms Suga was awarded an exclusive mentorship opportunity which she is currently undertaking along with a $3000 cash prize to help her bring her invention to life.
This follows Ms Suga's success at Origin Energy's 2019 national littleBIGidea competition, placing her among just three winners from more than 1000 entries for her Safety Smart Goggles invention. The goggles feature Bluetooth technology which alerts a supervisor if a young swimmer has been underwater for too long.
Ms Suga draws inspiration from the work of young, innovative biomedical engineers like Macinley Butson and relayed this advice for other young inventors.
"It is hard to come up with a unique idea for an invention. However, I find the best way is to look within your own life or speak to your family and friends about what issues they face every day.
"One of my passions is swimming which helped me to develop the Safety Smart Goggles. I wanted everyone to be able to share in this passion, regardless of their swimming ability, without the risk of injuring or drowning themselves," Ms Suga.
Ms Suga hopes to empower other young inventors within the Liverpool community as a member of the Liverpool Youth Council which she has been a part of since July 2020.
"Through the Youth Council, we can have a say in the issues that affect Liverpool's young people – not just adults. It is a great way to get involved in your local community and connect with other people your own age," Ms Suga said.
Mayor of Liverpool Wendy Waller said the Liverpool Youth Council continues to be an effective platform for young people living in the Liverpool area to have a voice on the unique issues important to them.
"To help Council understand and provide workable solutions to enrich the lives of young people in Liverpool, we must regularly connect and engage with them.
"Our Youth Council continues to be an important platform to do this and ensure our young talent continue to live and work within Liverpool further contributing to the bright future of the region.
"We're proud to have young members of our community like Jorja leading the charge on our Youth Council," Mayor Waller said.
When asked about her future, Ms Suga wants to follow in the footsteps of McKinley Butson and become a biomedical engineer.
