Creativity and Innovation, Emps5111, Fall 2018

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION, EMP5111, FALL 2018

https://senior.helite.com/en/how-it-works/

http://www.faceinnovation.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/9-Ideation-TRIZ-roots-and-differentiation.pdf

https://www.cmhammar.com/products/personal-safety-mob/lifejacket-inflator/faq/

https://www.mustangsurvival.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-Mustang_US-Library/default/dw8c57ccff/mustang/owners-manuals/

Features of product: Auto inflate, portable propeller, use like a belt around hip….more to be added.

Problem description: More than half of the world’s population doesn’t know how to swim! That means more than half of the people flying or travelling by sea don’t know the basic life skill. In case of emergency or disaster, more than 50% of the people have a very low probability of successfully fighting for survival. Of the 50% + people who don’t know swimming, large % don’t learn it because of ignorance, lack of basic facilities in their locality, high training cost, time factor etc.

https://myswimpro.com/blog/2015/05/30/over-4-billion-people-cant-swim/

Innovation Situation Questionnaire

1. System to be improved, and its environment

1.1 System name

Swim-Pro/The Dolphin/Makara/Varuna/Aquabot/Swim2Win/Catastrophe-Nemesis/Poseidon

1.2 Primary useful function

• Enable non-swimmers to swim automatically without much physical effort.
• Life saving capabilities by keeping the wearer afloat in rough waters and propelling capability towards nearest land.
• Swimming training without aid for learners by body motion prompts.

1.3 Current or desired system structure

Diagram already included for current system. Desired system diagram to be designed.

Parts: inflatable jacket, mini cylinder to inflate, auto trigger, manual trigger (for emergency), motor, high speed mini propeller

[pic 1]

[pic 2]

[pic 3]

[pic 4]

[pic 5]

1.4 Functioning of system

Current (swimming floats/aids): The current swimming aids come in many shapes and types and are used to aid humans and sometimes pets with buoyancy. The most common are inflatable rings (where the user swims in the middle of it) and the inflatable armbands (they are placed around the user's arms). After being inflated by filling fluid (usually air) through a valve, they are much less dense than water because they are composed mainly of air, surrounded by a thin layer of synthetic material.

Swimming using floats/aids can be more difficult than swimming without the float, because if the float is held in front of the swimmer a more vigorous workout for the legs is required as the swimmer's weight is propelled solely by the legs of the swimmer or arms depending upon the type of float.

The inflated tubes/tyres for floatation work on pretty much the same principle as the swimming floats.

Current (Lifejacket): Lifejackets come in the form of vests that are usually worn around the person’s body. They have straps that can be used to secure it around the user’s body. Once tightly secured, it comes with a lever that can be used to inflate the jacket. There are some types which are made up of floatation compatible materials so that the user doesn’t have to “activate” it to work in water.

The basic principle is that the material inside of a life jacket traps air when the jacket is submerged. The trapped air weighs much less than the weight of the water it displaces, so the water pushes up harder than the life jacket pushes down, allowing the life jacket to remain buoyant and float. This buoyancy is strong enough to hold up additional weight without sinking.

The outer shell of a life jacket is usually made of nylon or vinyl with material that keeps the life jacket afloat sewn inside. Life jackets with foam are classified as inherently buoyant because a person does not need to do anything to activate the flotation. These foams use closed cells that trap air in pockets when the jacket is submerged.

Life jackets can also be classified as inflatable. These life jackets have cartridges of carbon dioxide gas sewn into them. When activated by the pull of a lever, the gas will release and fill the chambers of the jacket. Some models will activate the release of gas automatically when the jacket is submerged, thanks to a small dissolvable stopper, like a bobbin or a pill. These devices are made of a water-soluble material, and when they dissolve, the gas is released and inflates the jacket. Other inflatable models require the wearer to pull a tab to activate inflation. When the user pulls the tab, it pierces the carbon dioxide canisters to release the gas. Both of these inflatable devices include tubes that a person can blow into, providing a backup way to inflate the jacket.