The Action

When the rope on the team’s lifebuoy is pulled to a certain distance an alarm and a camera with a light in a box at the back of the lifebuoy holder will be activated. This alarm will notify nearby people if someone is in danger in the water to assist with the rescue. This alarm will also send a message to local authorities such as the Gardaí so they can help. If the lifebuoy is being vandalised the camera will take a picture of the person and the alarm will sound. The electronics in this box will be powered by a solar panel so will be very efficient and reliable.

The group also identified that people need to be educated on how to use a lifebuoy. They came up with the idea of holding a lifebuoy throwing competition as an incentive for people to learn.

During this project the group worked alongside many different groups, including Irish Water Safety, Tipperary County Council and teachers and students within the school. The group have shared their project online using Facebook and Twitter accounts and have published brochures as reference material.

The Impact

The project team’s work was greatly received, and the team won a 2014 Young Social Innovators’ Challenge Award. Irish Water Safety have stated that they think the  lifebuoy is a great idea that could make a big change in the world of water safety and invited the team to a national conference to present the project to water safety officers and examiners from the 32 counties of Ireland. The team was selected to represent Young Social Innovators at the 2014 Web Summit conference, explaining how they have used technology to change the world for the better.