The Irish national winner of the James Dyson Award, Paul Hendrick, is one of two Irish entries through to the global top 20 of the prestigious awards which recognise excellence in invention and innovation.

Mr Hendrick invented an interactive multiplication table that helps children learn their multiplication tables.

The device, which is called Méadú, consists of a grid, sliders and a whiteboard that allow interactive maths learning.

Mr Hendrick said the idea for Méadú stemmed from his research within primary schools when teachers highlighted that there was a drop in physical maths resources for the older year groups in primary education when the subject increased in difficulty.

Another Irish invention, "Proteus Controller", has also been shortlisted in the global top 20 of the Dyson Award.

The games controller was invented by Brandon Blacoe and allows gamers with disabilities to access video games by providing a Lego-like kit of components that can be assembled in infinite configurations.

The final winners are due to be announced on 16 November.

This year marks the 17th year of the James Dyson Award which recognises ground-breaking concepts in engineering and design.

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