What would a modern life jacket look like if you threw out the rulebook and started with a clean slate? The answer lies with the winners of the 2015 Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition announced in September at the International Boat Builders Exhibition and Conference in Louisville, KY. Sponsored by the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA), a team of five judges from the boating, paddling, and lifejacket manufacturing industry reviewed nearly 250 contest submissions and asked recreational boaters to vote for their favorite design entry.
The goal was to rethink a 100-year-old design, seek out the newest technologies and design innovations, and develop interest in newer, more versatile life jackets. Design entries were judged on innovation, wearability, value/affordability, reliability, versatility, and practicality. At stake was $15,000 in prize money.
Competition judge and Image Base vice president Joe Fogarty says, “Whether a commercial enterprise, an individual inventor-entrepreneur, a student or a group of Scouts, the 2015 Life Jacket Design Competition brought forth a lot of creativity. The entries we chose showed thoughtfulness, problem solving and practicality.”
First Place ($10,000): Michael Garman of Moseley, VA, submitted his prototype design that uses two-part expanding foam encased in a comfortable thermal fabric. The design uses a smartphone app to submit exact body measurements to the factory where the lifejacket is custom molded. A heat-reflecting fabric can be used on cold days to help keep the wearer warm or reversed for hot days that combine with an inner fabric mesh to keep the wearer cool. Accessories include a rear mounted hydration pack and custom pocket choices. A built-in signal mirror and whistle improve safety.
Second Place ($3000): Jimi Beach of Aegis Safety Products in Orlando, FL, took second place with soon-to-market, inflatable floatation “Lifeshirt” for a range of uses from boating to surfing. Offering automatic or manual inflation, a patented design resists inadvertent inflation from rain or splashes but activates instantly when the user’s head or shoulders submerge.
Third Place ($2000): Jessie Kate Brown of Lafayette, LA, submitted a theoretical design for the “Comfort Flex Life Vest,” a form-fitting design that increases visibility and inspires user confidence. “Relief cuts” on the side add buoyant material while a new hinge point and a lobster tail-like relief cut on the middle of the back of the jacket allow the wearer to easily bend his or her body.
FIND MORE PICTURES AND VIDEO HERE.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 - 11:59
What would a modern life jacket look like if you threw out the rulebook and started with a clean slate? The answer lies with the winners of the 2015 Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition announced in September at the International Boat Builders Exhibition and Conference in Louisville, KY. Sponsored by the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA), a team of five judges from the boating, paddling, and lifejacket manufacturing industry reviewed nearly 250 contest submissions and asked recreational boaters to vote for their favorite design entry.
The goal was to rethink a 100-year-old design, seek out the newest technologies and design innovations, and develop interest in newer, more versatile life jackets. Design entries were judged on innovation, wearability, value/affordability, reliability, versatility, and practicality. At stake was $15,000 in prize money.
Competition judge and Image Base vice president Joe Fogarty says, “Whether a commercial enterprise, an individual inventor-entrepreneur, a student or a group of Scouts, the 2015 Life Jacket Design Competition brought forth a lot of creativity. The entries we chose showed thoughtfulness, problem solving and practicality.”
First Place ($10,000): Michael Garman of Moseley, VA, submitted his prototype design that uses two-part expanding foam encased in a comfortable thermal fabric. The design uses a smartphone app to submit exact body measurements to the factory where the lifejacket is custom molded. A heat-reflecting fabric can be used on cold days to help keep the wearer warm or reversed for hot days that combine with an inner fabric mesh to keep the wearer cool. Accessories include a rear mounted hydration pack and custom pocket choices. A built-in signal mirror and whistle improve safety.
Second Place ($3000): Jimi Beach of Aegis Safety Products in Orlando, FL, took second place with soon-to-market, inflatable floatation “Lifeshirt” for a range of uses from boating to surfing. Offering automatic or manual inflation, a patented design resists inadvertent inflation from rain or splashes but activates instantly when the user’s head or shoulders submerge.
Third Place ($2000): Jessie Kate Brown of Lafayette, LA, submitted a theoretical design for the “Comfort Flex Life Vest,” a form-fitting design that increases visibility and inspires user confidence. “Relief cuts” on the side add buoyant material while a new hinge point and a lobster tail-like relief cut on the middle of the back of the jacket allow the wearer to easily bend his or her body.
FIND MORE PICTURES AND VIDEO HERE.