The eyes have IT in local invention

Barwon Heads local Angus Fitzpatrick has created a potential sight saving device in just 12 months, inspired from a lightbulb moment related to 3D printer technology.

“The idea for Rynse came to me during a drive home from a water polo game last January. The chlorine from the pool was irritating my eyes so much that I nearly crashed,” he said.

“I saw a bottle of water next to me, thinking something should be created to screw onto the top to make it easier to wash out eyes.

“I went into the office the next day and designed what I now call Rynse, printed it out and tested it. After I was happy, I thought I would try taking it further.”

Rynse is designed to be a portable eyewash station. It can be screwed onto a water bottle in a matter of seconds.

Angus hopes it will soon become an addition or standard piece of equipment in first-aid kits to reduce the risk of prolonged eye trauma.

It’s been a year since Angus first thought of Rynse and he has now gone on to win the People’s Choice, Young Australian Designer of the Year at the Good Design Australia Awards for the product, which he has taken to market with the help of Runway Geelong – a business assisting with start-up companies.

“The biggest support I’ve had through all of this would have to be my family and friends, as well as everyone at Runway Geelong and the research group I work with at Deakin University (School of Engineering),” he said.

“Winning the People’s Choice Award was something that I didn’t really expect when I put the entry in. The people’s choice category is essentially a popularity contest, and my entry managed to do a lot better than anyone else’s.

“I got a ticket to the Gala and the after party, and spent the night surrounded by some of the best designers in the country. The night was unbelievable and there were people designing products from all aspects of the Australian product market.”

Although Angus is proud of his award, it’s the guidance from Runway Geelong that he is most proud of.

Runway Geelong has a limit of 10 startups a year.

“People’s Choice was good, but taking an idea, turning it into a company, and being able to get a product to market in 12 weeks is something I didn’t think was possible, but the team at Runway made it happen,” Angus said.

“This included my IP protection, medical device registration, some small aspects of marketing and launching my product at Pivot Summit in December last year.”

Angus has a background in tech from an academic standpoint, with a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, and is now undertaking a HDR degree (Masters by Research) in Biomedical Systems, making the business aspect of Rynse the biggest challenge.

“The hardest part of developing Rynse has been learning the business side of what’s associated with commercialising a product,” Angus said.

“Product development is something I have done for a while, and getting a product to a prototype is relatively easy, but getting it to a point where you can sell it is the hard part.

“It’s something I have loved learning, making it a lot easier to do next time. Learning from your mistakes is a big part about having a start-up, and doing research too. So pushing through is something that has been an awesome experience.”

Angus has known the importance of first aid since he was young, having been a junior firefighter at Barwon Heads and surf lifesaver for Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club.

“When I was in primary school I joined the junior firefighters at Barwon Heads, only for a year, and because I was a bit young, there wasn’t much I could do so my mother signed my siblings and I up for Nippers with Ocean Grove SLSC,” Angus said.

“I pretty much grew up at the club, with all of my summers spent there until I was 20. I went through junior and senior competition, and working as a life guard with Lifesaving Victoria for a few years.”

He said his goal for Rynse was to get one in every first aid kit around the world.

“With a few other projects in the pipeline, I plan to expand the product range in the next 24 months, but I would like to take Rynse to a few other countries before I start on other products.”

For more information on Rynse visit primalmedical.tech/rynse, follow the Facebook page @rynse1, Twitter @RYNSE__, or Instagram @rynse_.