Students cash in as coin-counter scoops prize

FOUR University of Limerick students could be laughing all the way to the bank after their coin-counting invention scooped a top prize at a college exhibition.

They created a device than will save people the tireless job of counting thousands of coins. Euro Count is a circular shaped object that stores and counts change effortlessly. The structure has eight cylindrical tubes that store the equivalent amount to that of moneybags.

When the tube is full, all the user has to do is pop the coins into the moneybags before bringing them to the bank.

The invention was created by equine science third-year degree students, Antoina Deym, Cynthia Murphy Michael J Hayes and final year business student, Ed O'Brien.

It was unveiled at the UL exhibition of enterprise ideas sponsored by Shannon Development and Bank of Ireland on Tuesday. The judges voted the counter the most viable proposal on view, and the four are hoping to make big bucks from the quirky idea. They won €150 as part of the prize.

“We’re really interested in taking it further and we might be getting in contact with a mouldings company in the next few days. We knew there was a gap in the market for this,” said 21-year-old Ed O’Brien, from Killenaule Co Tipperary.

The overall winner of the €300 for number one business idea was a product called Handybag, an alternative to plastic bags. The light and durable bag folds into a key-ring and a wallet that unzips into a bag.

“As the name suggests the Handybag will be at your hand when and where you need it” the product’s creators said.

Inventors Pauline Devaney, Ann Marie Murphy, Morgan O'Regan and Pavel Streblov say the handybags will bring an end to plastic holders.