Project Proposal
There is a growing problem among people who participate in dangerous aquatic activity. Many people have begun to disregard lifejackets as a legitimate safety precaution. 84% of all victims who have drown in boating accidents were not wearing life jackets. How can the conventional life jacket be changed to encourage people to wear them?
To understand where the problem roots from we must first analyze statistics related to the issue. 80% of drowning deaths from boating accidents are direct results of unexpected entry into the water. In other words, many people may choose not to wear a life jacket because they believe that they won't need one when they are cruising on a boat. However when a rogue wave knocks them of the deck they find themselves without any way to stay afloat when in the water. This idea is supported by the fact that 80% of people who drown in boating accidents were not wearing life jackets. Even for those with enough sense to wear their life jackets,
20% of people with life jackets on are knocked unconscious due to the nature of their accident and unable to maneuver to safety or keep their head above water. While lifejackets are not a perfect solution they provide far better protection from drowning then clothing alone.
While it may be seen as coincidence that people are not wearing their life jacket, many times it is a conscious choice. A survey conducted by my partner and I found interesting results when asking people about the frequency of wearing their lifejacket. We found that 46.3 % of people never wore life jackets when participating in dangerous activity, 35.2% of people only wore lifejackets sometimes (25-75% of the time), and a mere 18.5% of people wore their lifejackets all of the time. The survey demonstrated consistent results with those demonstrated with those provided by the coast guard. Most people find life jackets to be uncomfortable and unstylish. These superficial reasons are often why people choose not to wear lifejackets.
In summation, there is a wealth of information to prove that there is a major problem with the amount of people that choose to wear life jackets. The reasons people choose not to wear lifejackets are often unreasonable and are not worth risking their life for.
Life jackets were crafted in the year 1854 by Captain Ward using cork for flotation. Ever since this time life jackets have undergone many changes for better flotation technique and safety. What you don’t see is companies making PFDs that are comfortable to wear and not just safe. It is important to take comfortability into the design process when making life jackets to ensure that people actively wear them and don’t let them collect dust.
Life jackets are erroneously uncomfortable and often too bothersome to wear regularly when you are out on the water or in any kind of setting where one is needed. This is rather odd when you consider you are putting your life in danger and have an object that can prevent your life from being expended. Comparing other people’s views from internet reviews of products and censuses conducted by the Coast Guard and confirmed our original thoughts on the topic. Life jackets aren't comfortable and people would rather endanger themselves than be forced to wear them.
So to counter this problem you would think you would just have to make them less bulky and more comfortable when worn, this is not so easy as it sounds. This is where self inflating PFDs come into play; after some research, however, it was discovered that despite these self inflating PFDs being more comfortable they still tend to ride up or chafe the skin, as well as be way too expensive. Self inflating PFDs are less bulky and more comfortable than your traditional PFD but tend to chafe or ride up and buying re arm kits for every use is expensive.
Some inventors came up with ideas to counter these problems in almost the same manner that my group has decided. Making a thin shirt like garment that inflates via pull string that will release CO2. A patent that was filed in 2010, US 20100015867 A1, had the idea of using a small PFD that could be attached to your clothing and inflated using a pull string that would release CO2 and inflate the chest and lower back areas for flotation. In reality you could combine the two so that the PFD could be inside of the shirt and inflate a greater portion of the body.
In summation, making a life jacket that is self inflating and thinner or can be contained is a small space would be more ideal than having a regular life jacket that is pre inflated or one that is thick and self inflating. Making sure that the wearer is comfortable wearing your jacket should be the top priority to ensure people actually wear them and don’t buy them and allow them to collect dust.
After looking through the statistics that we have compiled we have found consistency in reasoning for not wearing life jackets or disliking lifejackets. In producing our solution we have outlined specific design criteria to encourage more people to wear our revised life jacket. We intended to make a life jacket that is more comfortable, more stylish, and easier to wear for extended periods of time. We believe that doing this will help people to save their life by taking the simple measure of wearing a life jacket.
We believe that to most people, comfort is the most important thing. There have been several previous attempts at creating more comfortable life jackets. Including those that are wrist mounted, or fit inside a fanny pack. Many people find these to be more comfortable alternatives, however they are often times far more expensive and require costly rearm kits in order to work more than once. Additionally if these devices are self inflating there is a far less chance of survival if the victim in knocked unconscious during the accident. Idealy the revised lifejacket will be less bulky, causing it to be more comfortable and worn by more people. While comfort may be king many people believe that style is also very important.
Many people believe that style is one of the most important factors when it comes to life jackets. However old sayings often ring true “beauty is pain”. Often times the case for life jackets is that comfort must be sacrificed for style. Solutions like the Bandeau belt attempt to solve this problem, however they require the lifejacket to be worn in uncomfortable positions, in other words comfort must be sacrificed for style.
In summation, we believe that the revision of the lifejacket to make it more comfortable and more stylish will lead to it being able to be worn for extended period of time. These revisions will lead to countless people having their life saved by taking the simple precaution of wearing a lifejacket.
To understand where the problem roots from we must first analyze statistics related to the issue. 80% of drowning deaths from boating accidents are direct results of unexpected entry into the water. In other words, many people may choose not to wear a life jacket because they believe that they won't need one when they are cruising on a boat. However when a rogue wave knocks them of the deck they find themselves without any way to stay afloat when in the water. This idea is supported by the fact that 80% of people who drown in boating accidents were not wearing life jackets. Even for those with enough sense to wear their life jackets,
20% of people with life jackets on are knocked unconscious due to the nature of their accident and unable to maneuver to safety or keep their head above water. While lifejackets are not a perfect solution they provide far better protection from drowning then clothing alone.
While it may be seen as coincidence that people are not wearing their life jacket, many times it is a conscious choice. A survey conducted by my partner and I found interesting results when asking people about the frequency of wearing their lifejacket. We found that 46.3 % of people never wore life jackets when participating in dangerous activity, 35.2% of people only wore lifejackets sometimes (25-75% of the time), and a mere 18.5% of people wore their lifejackets all of the time. The survey demonstrated consistent results with those demonstrated with those provided by the coast guard. Most people find life jackets to be uncomfortable and unstylish. These superficial reasons are often why people choose not to wear lifejackets.
In summation, there is a wealth of information to prove that there is a major problem with the amount of people that choose to wear life jackets. The reasons people choose not to wear lifejackets are often unreasonable and are not worth risking their life for.
Life jackets were crafted in the year 1854 by Captain Ward using cork for flotation. Ever since this time life jackets have undergone many changes for better flotation technique and safety. What you don’t see is companies making PFDs that are comfortable to wear and not just safe. It is important to take comfortability into the design process when making life jackets to ensure that people actively wear them and don’t let them collect dust.
Life jackets are erroneously uncomfortable and often too bothersome to wear regularly when you are out on the water or in any kind of setting where one is needed. This is rather odd when you consider you are putting your life in danger and have an object that can prevent your life from being expended. Comparing other people’s views from internet reviews of products and censuses conducted by the Coast Guard and confirmed our original thoughts on the topic. Life jackets aren't comfortable and people would rather endanger themselves than be forced to wear them.
So to counter this problem you would think you would just have to make them less bulky and more comfortable when worn, this is not so easy as it sounds. This is where self inflating PFDs come into play; after some research, however, it was discovered that despite these self inflating PFDs being more comfortable they still tend to ride up or chafe the skin, as well as be way too expensive. Self inflating PFDs are less bulky and more comfortable than your traditional PFD but tend to chafe or ride up and buying re arm kits for every use is expensive.
Some inventors came up with ideas to counter these problems in almost the same manner that my group has decided. Making a thin shirt like garment that inflates via pull string that will release CO2. A patent that was filed in 2010, US 20100015867 A1, had the idea of using a small PFD that could be attached to your clothing and inflated using a pull string that would release CO2 and inflate the chest and lower back areas for flotation. In reality you could combine the two so that the PFD could be inside of the shirt and inflate a greater portion of the body.
In summation, making a life jacket that is self inflating and thinner or can be contained is a small space would be more ideal than having a regular life jacket that is pre inflated or one that is thick and self inflating. Making sure that the wearer is comfortable wearing your jacket should be the top priority to ensure people actually wear them and don’t buy them and allow them to collect dust.
After looking through the statistics that we have compiled we have found consistency in reasoning for not wearing life jackets or disliking lifejackets. In producing our solution we have outlined specific design criteria to encourage more people to wear our revised life jacket. We intended to make a life jacket that is more comfortable, more stylish, and easier to wear for extended periods of time. We believe that doing this will help people to save their life by taking the simple measure of wearing a life jacket.
We believe that to most people, comfort is the most important thing. There have been several previous attempts at creating more comfortable life jackets. Including those that are wrist mounted, or fit inside a fanny pack. Many people find these to be more comfortable alternatives, however they are often times far more expensive and require costly rearm kits in order to work more than once. Additionally if these devices are self inflating there is a far less chance of survival if the victim in knocked unconscious during the accident. Idealy the revised lifejacket will be less bulky, causing it to be more comfortable and worn by more people. While comfort may be king many people believe that style is also very important.
Many people believe that style is one of the most important factors when it comes to life jackets. However old sayings often ring true “beauty is pain”. Often times the case for life jackets is that comfort must be sacrificed for style. Solutions like the Bandeau belt attempt to solve this problem, however they require the lifejacket to be worn in uncomfortable positions, in other words comfort must be sacrificed for style.
In summation, we believe that the revision of the lifejacket to make it more comfortable and more stylish will lead to it being able to be worn for extended period of time. These revisions will lead to countless people having their life saved by taking the simple precaution of wearing a lifejacket.