But their designer is teenager Cai Wanling who, though only 19, saw the need for such a creation from the bumps she suffered when finding her way in the dark.

Said the Temasek Polytechnic student: 'Although I'm familiar with my house, I still bump into objects at night.

'It can be more dangerous for the elderly, especially if they are living alone,' added the third-year product and industrial design student.

Her innovation and that of a diabetic-friendly drink stirrer are among some products that may emerge from a new design centre at the poly.

Called the >60 (Greater than Sixty) Design Centre, it is to be officially launched in April to encourage young people to develop products that will improve an elderly person's life.

It will receive $3 million in seed-funding from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, announced Mr Lim Boon Heng, the minister-in-charge of ageing issues, yesterday.

Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said that there is an emerging group of older folk who are active and financially secure.

These 'active agers', as he calls them, will set the stage for a glittering silver market in Singapore and Asia.

'Singapore can be a regional centre to develop innovative ideas and products.

Our multi-ethnic and ageing population, together with its strength in logistics, finance, research and technology, make Singapore an ideal test-bed for the wider Asian silver market,' he said at the launch of the Silver Industry Conference and Exhibition.

Part of this network would be the >60 Design Centre, which will also study the challenges the elderly face in daily living and find solutions for them.

Anyone can take their ideas to the centre, which will facilitate the thinking and evaluation process, said the director of Temasek Design School, Mr Moses Wong.

'If the idea has potential market value, we can take it to the next level where more intense research and development will be carried out and, if successful, the product can be brought to the people.'

Another innovation from a 19-year-old that the centre is considering is a drink stirrer for diabetics. Shaped like a tear-drop at one end, it has a small groove that holds exactly one level teaspoon of sugar when dipped into a sugar bowl.

'The stirrer can help old people with a sweet tooth manage their sugar intake,' said its designer, Ms Lau Hui Ling, also a third-year product and industrial design student.

SUMATHI V. SELVARETNAM