OMU-Developed Wearable for People with Alzheimer’s Wins Türkiye’s 2026 James Dyson Award

Designed by OMU students Emir Alapala and Dilara Türkeş, the smart wearable uses familiar scents and emergency identification features to support people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.

ReminiScent, a smart wearable designed to support people living with Alzheimer’s disease, has been named the Türkiye National Winner of the 2026 James Dyson Award.

Developed by Emir Alapala and Dilara Türkeş of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), ReminiScent is designed to support memory-related processes and improve safety in everyday life.

According to Dyson, the wearable uses ultrasonic atomization technology to release micro-doses of familiar scents associated with the user’s personal memories. The concept is based on the close relationship between smell and autobiographical memory.

The device also displays information such as the user’s blood type and emergency contact details, allowing people nearby to quickly reach family members or caregivers in the event of an emergency or if the wearer becomes lost.

Inspired by Personal Experiences with Memory and Scent

The idea for ReminiScent emerged from personal experiences within the team.

One team member observed that the scent of daffodils brought back memories of youth for their mother, while their grandmother, who was living with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, associated the smell of damp soil and wet grass with a fountain in the family’s former vineyard.

These observations inspired the team to explore how familiar scents might be incorporated into a wearable device intended to support reminiscence and everyday safety.

In the next stage of development, the team plans to integrate location tracking to address the risk of people with Alzheimer’s becoming lost, develop a more compact device architecture, and eventually complete the necessary medical certification processes.

£5,000 Award to Support Further Development

As Türkiye’s national winner, ReminiScent received £5,000 to support further development and commercialization.

Two other projects were named national runners-up: Uni-Grip, developed by Barış Arman Karakaş of Middle East Technical University, and Desmos, developed by Sidal Karaytuğ of İstanbul Bilgi University.

All three projects will continue to the international stage of the competition, where they will compete for a £30,000 award.

The international Top 20, selected by a global team of Dyson engineers, is scheduled to be announced on 14 October, while the international winners selected by James Dyson will be announced on 4 November.

Emir Alapala: “The Award Strongly Validates Our Vision”

Speaking after ReminiScent was selected as Türkiye’s national winner, team member Emir Alapala said the recognition demonstrated that their vision of improving the daily lives of people with Alzheimer’s had resonated with the award jury.

He described the experts’ positive response to the design as an important source of motivation.

“The financial support provided by the award will also make a significant contribution by allowing us to acquire the equipment we need to accelerate our R&D process and turn our vision into reality,” Alapala said.

“Our focus from this point onward will be to continue our R&D work to make the product safer and more useful for people with Alzheimer’s disease.”

He added that the team plans to integrate new functions, such as location tracking, which could be valuable for both patients and caregivers.

“After that, we aim to complete a comprehensive prototyping process incorporating these developments, finalize the product, and, following the necessary certification procedures, make ReminiScent available to the people who genuinely need it.”

Jury Highlights Non-Invasive and Drug-Free Approach

Prof. Dr. Ata Akın, a member of the James Dyson Award Türkiye National Jury and Dean at Acıbadem University, emphasized the importance of technologies designed to support people living with Alzheimer’s disease, particularly because the condition currently has no cure.

Akın noted that the proposed technology is non-invasive, drug-free, and designed for continuous use, while drawing on the well-established relationship between olfaction and memory.

He also highlighted the design's simplicity and ease of use.

“A Simple but Potentially Powerful Solution”

Tuğra Erol, James Dyson Award Türkiye National Jury Member and Associate Chief Engineer at Dyson, said the project addresses fundamental challenges associated with ageing populations and the needs of people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Erol said the concept aims to apply basic principles of human physiology to create a simple yet potentially powerful solution that could eventually reach users around the world.

“ReminiScent strongly reflects the approach we value in engineering,” Erol said. “The research and problem definition are supported by solid sources, while the solution has been thoughtfully developed and clearly communicated through sketches and prototyping.”

He added that the project combines reminiscence therapy with scent-based stimulation, offering an approach that differs from existing products on the market.

“Alzheimer’s disease currently has no cure,” Erol said. “As an affordable and continuously usable solution designed to provide safety and therapeutic support, ReminiScent has significant potential to bring an approach based on stimulating memory pathways through scent to a wider audience and create a positive impact.”