2010 Winner

Samuel Adeloju - Longreach, Australia

Function:

Longreach is a man-portable system that allows for the rapid conveyance of temporary, water-activated buoyancy devices to a drowning victim's location. It is designed to allow a victim to remain buoyant while rescue personnel prepare the appropriate response to the situation. The rescue package uses hydrophobic or rapidly expanding foam to provide buoyancy once the package contacts the water. This allows the package to be vastly smaller in size than any currently existing buoyancy device. Equipped with a light for attracting attention the Rescue Package can be propelled over 150m. Longreach is also equipped with Para-Flares for night-time Illumination.

Inspiration:

Every year hundreds of people are drowned in situations where rescue systems are present, but unable to reach the victim in a timely fashion. 'Longreach' is designed to accommodate a wide range of users from the beach and small fishing boats through to super tankers. It is designed to allow a victim to remain buoyant while rescue personnel prepare the appropriate response to the rescue situation.

Development:

The focus was on developing a method of inflation that was distinctly different and better than all those that have come before it. A foam-based inflation presents the best possible balance between safety, ease of manufacture and cost. Weight and cost are reduced while reliablity and puncture resistance are increased.