Sam Etherington is this year’s UK national James Dyson Award winner.

The Brunel University student has devised a multi-axis wave energy converter that, unlike existing wave converters, can absorb forces from waves on any axis from any direction, making it both more durable and more effective than current tidal power technologies.

“Inspiration [for the project] came from a number of sources,” Etherington told Wired.co.uk, “Firstly, personal awareness that there simply must be alternative energy generation sources in the mainstream energy production industry if we are to avoid destroying the landscape that we live in. Secondly, kite surfing and sailing off the west coast of Cumbria has shown the sheer power within waves and the real potential for energy generation. Finally, diving trips in the Orkneys has put the world’s wave and tidal development technology at the European Marine Energy Centre firmly in mind.”