A computer game controller designed for children with cerebral palsy has scored first place and $10,000 in a competition for young Australian designers.
Children place their palms on the soccer ball-shaped controller and move it around in a mount to navigate computer games.
Generic hand-held controllers can prove challenging for cerebral palsy sufferers due to the high level of dexterity required.
Winner Max Hughes, in his application to the Hills young Australian design awards, said the controller can have therapeutic benefits by encouraging users to engage both their dominant and non-dominant hands.
"Using the controller with two hands may mean their sense of touch improves through a more immersive form of engagement compared to physical therapy," he said.
"The motion of the 'dome' is simple and very intuitive, and the majority of children pick up the unique way of controlling the game straight away."
The head of Hills Ted Pretty, whose company was made famous by its Hills Hoist washing line, praised the design's ingenuity, saying it would give children with a disability the chance to play games for longer than they would otherwise be able to.
Other prizes went to a high-tech computerised helmet for police officers and a super-lightweight kayak.
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