The Tongue Sucker has been developed by Graeme Davies, Phillip Greer, Christopher Huntley and Lisa Stroux, four Industrial Design Engineers who attended Imperial College and the Royal College of Art.

The project was initiated in reaction to the July 7th 2005 London bombings in consultation with the emergency services involved. The aim of the designers was to put professional equipment into the hands of untrained bystanders; those who are best placed to apply immediate aid in the first few vital minutes after an accident.

Early on in the research phase it was identified that creating and maintaining a patent airway was the first critical step in the treatment of unconscious casualties. By further analysing and evaluating the airway management tools used by paramedics and taking a lateral design approach, they were able to address the limitations that prevented their use by the general public.