subject: Tips on How To Win $5,000 Life Jacket Contest [print this page] Tips on How To Win $5,000 Life Jacket Contest
Its the old story with boaters: yeah, yeah, life jackets save lives. But man are they uncomfortable! Only 2 out of 10 boaters actually wear personal flotation devices (PFDs), contributing to over 400 deaths a year, and The BoatU.S. Foundation wants to give you $5,000 to design a better one.
If you are an aspiring inventor, this may be a great opportunity to not only make some money, but to launch a career. But where to start? Here are a few ideas that might help.
Rules, Rules . . .
One of the best ways to win a contest is to follow the rules and directions to the letter, so let's start there.
The BoatU.S. Foundation has laid out four criteria for what the entries will be judged upon: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation. Let's break that down.
Wearability means comfort, and it is the most imortant reason for this while contest in the first place. People don't wear life jackets because they are bulky, ugly, hot and just plain uncomfortable. So with that in mind, try to create something that has as minimal presence as possible, maybe even going so far as to blend in with existing garments, like integrated into a normal jacket or shirt.
Reliability is self-explanatory. Your design must work, and work every time. If it doesn't, get back to the drawing board. Think simple, that usually means foolproof.
Cost is also pretty straight forward. Most PFDs range from $20-30 in price. Designing a high-tech life jacket made out of space-age materials might be cool, but how much will it cost? Keep it cheap.
Innovation might be a little less clear, but if you have the spark of genius that many inventors have, then this part might not need explanation. Basically, they want you to "think outside the box" and try to think up something completely new and different than a traditional life jacket. Also new materials and technologies are encouraged, so don't be afraid to get all futuristic, just remember the cost thing.
Beyond that, entries must be videotaped in action, preferrably in a pool, from all angles. Send them the video, not the actual prototype, with a component and material list and cost estimates. Last point, be sure to have the video sent in by February 1, 2011.
What worked in the past?
Another good strategy is to look at previous contest winners. The BoatU.S. Foundation held the same contest in 2005, and the top entry was a slender inflatable belt worn around the waist that stayed cool and out of the way and could be deployed manually or automatically. The honorable mention winners also were quite inventive. There was a T-shirt life jacket that blended old and new materials, a series of stylish "shirts" made with an inflatable fabric, a two-part foam that mixed together to fill clear a buoyancy tube that went around the wearer's neck, a sleek, stylish buoyant vest design cooled by high-tech fabrics and a brightly colored vinyl float that's packed into a small case worn on the wrist.
It was clear by the judges' comments and selections that they preferred entries which focused on new technologies and materials that helped to improve on the existing life jacket design. They also leaned toward, surprise, products that were the least obtrusive i.e. the most comfortable.
Now, budding creator, armed with this knowledge, get out to your garage and design a PFD that's comfortable, reliable, inexpensive and innovative, video tape it in use and send it to boatingsafety@boatus.com. Who knows, you might win the 5 grand. But more important, your invention might save lives. And don't worry, if you win, you won't have to share the prize money with us.
