The Polytechnic School of Engineering of Gijón, which belongs to the University of Oviedo, has hosted the 2011's edition of INVENTA prizes, a contest of Design and Disability which awards projects developed by students which try to improve the daily's routines of disable people. The event was chaired by the rector, Vicente Gotor, and it also counted with the presence of the mayor of Gijón, Paz Fernández Felgueros; the vice-counsellor of Social Welfare and Housing, Ángel González Álvarez; the city-councillor of Avilés, Román Álvarez and representatives from companies and institutions which sponsored these awards, as well as the promoters of the contest: the teachers Javier Suárez Quirós and Ramón Gallego Santos.

80 projects were present to this 7th edition. As main novelty, a special prize which is funded by the Regional Ministry of Social Welfare and Housing was created this year. It is set with 1.000 Euros for the development of a joint project between students of Engineering and from the Asturian Higher School of Arts.

List of award winners

• Ideas in Metal prize for Andrea Suárez Sánchez and Hugo López Uría, for the Adap-TABLE project, an invention designed for people who suffer from dysmetria.


• COITIPA for Daniel Fernández Alonso, with the proposal of a Shower Assistant, a mechanical mechanism to help people with reduced mobility


• TRICICLO, Design and Management for Pelayo Bernardo Álvarez, for GeoPaths, a geo-localization system which allow blind people the circulation in urban routes


• COCEMFE for Pedro Solís Picatto, Fernando Rodríguez de Luis and Sonia Álvarez Sánchez for their proposal Aqua-free, a wheelchair for people with motor disabilities


• EOLO INNOVA for Mariana Suárez Recio and Juan José Martínez Martínez, with the O-BaG invention, an adaptable bag for the wheels of the wheelchairs


• Scientific-Technological Park of Gijón for José Jaime Padial Novoa and María Gallardo Martínez for Reminder, a device to help those people who lose the ability to remember.


• SOCINSER for Román Rodríguez Pérez for King's Eve, a very special chessboard aimed to blind players.


• EDIMAR for José Ramón Álvarez-Becerril, for Look@Sound project, a visual system to warn the a hearing impaired driver with acoustic signals.


• APSA for Sergio Soto, Cabero, Patricia Suárez Cuervo and Mirian García García for "Vaso para personas Invidentes" (Glass for Blind people)


• CAJASTUR for Patricia Espina Palanco, for "Punto de información y gestión interactivo" (Information and management interactive point), a platform which offers public services related to the information in airports, cashiers, etc


• A.TORAL Studies Centre for Helena Gómez Rodríguez and María Martínez Cacheiro, for the Shake project, a sexual toy for people with any kind of disability


• IKEA for Mª Belén de la Calle Martínez because of the redesign of a classic glass of water with a more ergonomic grip


• Avilés Town Council for Eduardo Costa Romero, Eunice Concepción Miranda and Daniel Puente for Flexómetro, a measuring tape which includes embossed letters in Braille.


• Dock Authority of Gijón for María Martínez Cacheiro and Javier de la Cruz Blanco, for Bliss, an electrical device to improve the relations of autistic people or people with communication problems.


• SHORTES for Verónica García Díaz, for Guardabarros limpiador (cleaning mudguard), adaptable to all kind of wheelchairs


• VIR, Soluciones en carton for Mirian García García for her proposal "Disfruta la fruta" (Enjoy the food), a toy which includes textures and texts in Braille


• Higher School of Arts of the Principality of Asturias for Maria Suárez Recio and Juan José Martínez Martínez, for Climb-3r. a wheelchair designed for the mountains and tough paths


• Industrial Polytechnic School of Gijón for Cristian Rodrigo Bustelo and Daniel Pérez García for Mechanical Chair, a wheelchair which is hung on a railway that allows the mobility at home


• Regional Ministry of Social Welfare and Housing for Jesús Antonio Ávila Burgueño and Sarai Allende Rodríguez for their project "Momentum", an exoskeleton aimed to people with physical disabilities that cannot move their lower limbs.