The life jacket is used for a number of activities where full dexterity would be useful including windsurfing, white water rafting, holding on for dear life on a rickety boat, or indeed swimming backwards.
Of course, despite the incumbent difficulties, most people still wear one. They’re not called a ‘life’ jacket for nothing. Every year they save 1000s of lives and enable people to enjoy the water in relative safety. But, of course, there are those that opt not to; they think they are strong swimmers, find them restrictive and say they can do without.
The challenge
The challenge this month is therefore to come up with a better lifejacket for leisure activities. Any device should not compromise on safety, but it should provide the user more mobility while wearing it.
Inflatable armbands or rubber rings might be a suitable option, but they are not entirely comfortable, and require the user to blow them up when they are needed, which may be a moment’s notice. The inflatable jackets found on aeroplanes are perhaps a step in the right direction, though they are still not exactly practical.
Any lifejacket should fall in to the category of ‘casual wear’ and be able to be worn by those at the beach or taking part in water activities, all day. They should be comfortable and enable users a full range of body movement. In particular children should be able to wear them, but if, for example, they are swept out to sea by a strong current, they will be safe in the knowledge that the lifejacket will provide adequate buoyancy.
Like always, we have got an idea in mind of how this is best achieved and we will be publishing it in the April issue of Eureka. In the meantime, let us know how you’d tackle the problem.
The solution to last month’s challenge, to come up with a casual and unrestrictive lifejacket for use by kids and adults at the beach, and for water sports, comes from US based Aegis. Its ‘Lifeshirt’ is worn like a t-shirt but instead of cotton, it uses carefully selected materials.
The design is a form-fitting shirt with an internal moisture-wicking liner, mesh ventilation panels and UPF 50+ fabric. The inflation system is built into the upper-middle back and can be set to automatic, or activated manually by pulling a handle on the shoulder.
The automatic system relies on an integrated sensor to detect submersion, which automatically activates the CO2-cylinder inflation bladder that expands around the upper torso and neck to keep the head above water. The design also includes an oral inflation/release valve on the right shoulder.
This is not expected to replace the lifejacket completely, but will enable more practical and useful water safety.
