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He is barely out of university, but this bright young graduate has come up with an invention that could save countless lives.

British inventor James Roberts, 23, has created a baby's incubator which can be manufactured for £250 ($395).

The inflatable device could transform healthcare in poor countries, where the normal £30,000 ($47,500) price of an incubator is unaffordable to all but the most advanced hospitals.

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British inventor has created a cheap and inflatable baby incubator (pictured). James Roberts, 23, graduated from Loughborough University in the summer and was awarded the International James Dyson Award this week. Incubators can cost £30,000 ($47,500). But Mr Roberts' invention can be made for just £250 ($395)

It might also be one day used as a portable device by paramedics in the UK, or even as a standby in hospitals.

Mr Roberts, who graduated from Loughborough University in the summer, awarded the International James Dyson Award for design engineers this week.

The young inventor, who sold his car to fund the prototype, beat competitors from 18 different countries to win the prestigious prize.

Mr Roberts, from Leatherhead in Surrey, will spend his £30,000 ($47,500) prize fund on clinical trials for his machine, which he hopes will eventually be adopted in British hospitals and aboard.

One in ten babies around the world are born prematurely. Being placed in an incubating machine which regulates temperature and oxygen flow is vital for tiny babies' survival.

Mr Roberts, who gained A Levels in maths, physics and design at the private St John's School in Leatherhead, before started a product design degree at Loughborough, said he was appalled at the cost of a modern incubator.

'There is no need for them to be so expensive,' he said.

'They are built with very expensive materials and have lots of features you don't necessarily need, like weight scales and oxygen sensors.'

James Dyson Award winner explains his incubator invention

Mr Roberts' design might also be one day used as a portable device by paramedics in the UK, and it could also be used in developing countries and disaster zones. Sir James Dyson said it could save 'thousands of lives'.

Mr Roberts, from Leatherhead in Surrey, will spend his £30,000 ($47,500) prize fund on clinical trials for his machine, which he hopes will eventually be adopted in British hospitals and aboard

He looked at every competent of a state-of-the art incubator and came up with cheaper replacements - ending up with a machine that could be created for less than a hundredth of the price.

His main cost saving was achieved by replacing the normal aluminium and rigid glass or plastic frame with a plastic inflatable body. He also replaced the humidifiers and temperature controls with cheaper parts and tore out anything not absolutely necessary.

The machine, which he called Mom, ended up with a machine that is portable and cheap.

It is heated using ceramic elements, has a digital screen to monitor temperature and humidity, an alarm that sounds if the temperature changes, and special lighting for babies with jaundice.

It has already passed engineering tests, but must also undergo stringent medical testing before it is used in the field.

Mr Roberts, who gained A Levels in maths, physics and design at the private St John's School in Leatherhead, before started a product design degree at Loughborough, said he was appalled at the cost of a modern incubator. 'There is no need for them to be so expensive,' he said

The design has won the approval of experts in the field.

Dr Steve Jones, consultant pediatrician at the Royal United Hospital in Bath said: 'Mom is a really interesting piece of innovation - I particularly like the integration of phototherapy, as jaundice is a very common co-morbidity alongside prematurity.

'Its use needn't be limited to developing world scenarios. I could see it being used in the UK to support community midwifery units, or following home births.'

Sir James Dyson, who launched his award after achieving commercial success with his bagless vacuum cleaners, said: 'James' invention shows the impact design engineering can have on people's lives.

'The Western world takes incubators for granted - we don't think about how their inefficient design makes them unusable in developing countries and disaster zones. By bravely challenging convention, James has created something that could save thousands of lives.'