Year's most inventive woman

A play set to help children battle osteoporosis is behind this year's best female inventor award. 

• For "Hop and Play," an childrens play set that combats osteoporosis, physiotherapist Ylva Dalén has won the 2010 Best Female Inventors Prize of SEK 5,000.

• In her work, Dalén treats children with motion difficultyies. An aid for disabled children to prevents osteoporosis while having fun, the Hop and Play set consists of a variously vibrating plate on which a child can stand, jump, and spin while promoting bone growth. With the colorful buttons, the child decides how the plate moves and controls entertaining actions. The device can also be combined with music and video.

• Launched four years ago, the prize for women inventors is endowed by the Margareta Anderson Fund and administered by the Swedish Inventors Association. Last year, the honor was given to Nadja Ekman and Ewa Stackelberg for their method to reproduce a detailed picture in glass. Previous winning inventions include a shower head that avoids Legionaires Disease bacteria and for an educational model of an atom for sight impaired children.