Escape Pod

A small Japanese engineering company, Cosmo Power, have designed an escape pod, otherwise known as 'Noahs Arc', that holds up to four adults and floats on water. The concept of this design is fantastic as I can't think of any other device that would be effective in saving lives in a tsunami, typhoon or earthquake, all natural disasters which unfortunately are high risk for some parts of the world.

'Noah's Arc' pod

The capsule, made of “enhanced fiberglass”, measures four feet in diameter, can hold up to four adults. It features watertight doors, air vents, and integrated water ballast (to keep it floating upright). 

Analysing the design of this fibreglass pod, it looks incredibly cramped and uncomfortable conditions if it were to be holding it's maximum capacity of four adults. They appear to have paid little attention to interior safety features. There appear to be no safety belts or webbing and little, if any, padding. It seems occupants are expected to hang on to the vertical bar while being tossed, which hardly seems practical! I figured a device which is similarly as effective, but better designed, would be fantastic for citizens who lived in high risk tsunami, earthquake and typhoon areas.

Most of the coastal countries in Asia face high risk of tsunamis and so do the countries on the western coast of the American continents. Tsunami threat is also eminent in the seismologically active Mediterranean Sea. About 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt that covers almost all of Asia and Americas' Pacific coast.

India and its neighbouring countries also face a high degree of threat from tsunamis, as shown in the map below.

Tsunami threat zones

Costing £2,498 for the entry level pod, it is clear that the target market would be families living in the developed areas of Asia and America.

I researched into more recent design for tsunami survival ('Noahs Arc' was designed in 2011) and discovered a more recent design by an Australian houseboat builder, Matt Duncan, who designed a tsunami pod after being stunned by the footage of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan which he saw on television. 

The pod is made from 4mm spiral welded steel, has a crush capacity of four tonnes, and features impact-absorbing crumple zones. It accommodates four people in five-point harnessed safety seats, and can reportedly hold enough air to last those passengers for two and a half hours. It has a main hatch and a bottom-mounted secondary hatch (in case it ends up upside-down), both of which open inward to avoid being blocked by external debris. Each of those hatches also feature a one-inch-thick window, to help minimise claustrophobia.

Matt and his tsunami pod

Inside of pod: seats with seat belts and a window

The pod has a streamlined design, to keep it from getting snagged on debris or other objects. Should it avoid all the snags and end up getting washed out to sea, its flashing exterior lights ought to help attract rescuers. Once they find it, its integrated lifting hooks should help it be hoisted by a helicopter or ship-mounted crane.

Four small wheels on the bottom allow it to be pushed around by hand on smooth surfaces (such as driveways), and it’s said to be small enough to fit in a typical garage or carport. It would definitely be worth investing in if it makes the difference between life or death on the off chance that you'll experience a tsunami, and it can also be used as an earthquake shelter.

Pod design showing wheels

To promote the pod, it should be advertised online as sponsored featured ad on search engines when people search tags search as 'earthquake' 'disaster' 'tsunami'.

There should also featured video on Youtube of the device, it's functions, and a demo of it being tested, to appear when people search and view videos of natural disasters. 

It would be tactful for the pod to be advertised on television, especially on national weather reports when warnings are being sent out when particular areas are at high risk.

They could even be sponsored ads on social media sites such as Facebook for citizens profiles living in the high risk area's. Facebook sponsored ads allow you to specify the location of your intended target audience so the ad is more effectively placed.

The pod needs to be promoted, advertised and discussed through all types of media and social media platforms, for example magazines, newspapers, blogs and twitter. It should particularly be pushed in the high risk areas of America and Asia. The more people who know about it, the more it will be spread by word of mouth too.

Below is a link to a video demonstrating news coverage of the invention.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-18/gold-coast-builder-invents-tsunami-pod/4268636

Invisible Helt

Two Swedish women set out to invent “the invisible bicycle helmet” and succeeded by creating 'Hövding'.

Hövding is a collar for bicyclists, worn around the neck. The collar contains a folded up airbag that you'll only see if you happen to have an accident. The airbag is shaped like a hood, surrounding and protecting the bicyclist's head. The trigger mechanism is controlled by sensors which pick up the abnormal movements of a bicyclist in an accident.

The actual collar is the visible part of the invention. It's covered by a removable shell that you can change to match your outfit, and we'll be launching new designs all the time. Hövding is a practical accessory that's easy to carry around, it's got a great-looking yet subtle design, and it will save your life.

Hövding being worn around the neck

It uses rechargeable battery-powered accelerometers and gyroscopes to detect movement that resembles being in a bike crash and launches airbags around the wearer’s head. Weighing 1.5 lbs. without the shell, the airbags are powered by a cold helium inflator located in a holder in the collar. Though similar to motorcycle helmets with inflators, this helmet is only for bicycles — not skateboards, mopeds, or skates, either. The helmet also contains a “black box” that records 10 seconds of data of the cyclists’ movement before an accident.

Airbag of Hövding

The helmet costs around $600, which is an expensive safety measure. But considering the potential hospital bills and the risk of death, it might be a good investment for fashion-forward bikers.  The helmet is only good for one use, so it has to be replaced after it deploys.

Every year about 40 people die and about 30,000 are injured in bicycling accidents, and that's just in Sweden. One in three bicyclists who are injured suffer head injuries. The most effective protection against serious injuries to the skull is to wear a bicycle helmet every time you get on your bicycle. International studies show that bicycle helmets reduce injuries by at least 60%. 40% of people who die in bicycling accidents would have survived if they had been wearing a helmet.

Despite these alarming accident statistics, the vast majority of cyclists on the roads aren't wearing helmets. This is partly because bicycle helmets are bulky and impractical to carry around when you're not on your bicycle, but it's also because people think bicycle helmets look hideous and make them look silly.

More and more countries are introducing legislation to make bicycle helmets compulsory. In these countries bicycle helmet use is quite widespread, although it is still not compulsory in Britain where bicycling is a very popular means of transport. However, bicycle helmets are far from popular, to put it mildly.

There are several reasons why lots of people are choosing not to wear bicycle helmets at the moment. The traditional polystyrene helmets take up a lot of room, are hard to carry around and you can't lock them to your bicycle securely. They ruin your hair and you can't get a hat on underneath.

The range of bicycle helmets available is extremely narrow, they all look the same and the lack of variety results in very few people wearing them. For most people, bicycling isn't a sport. They're just using their bicycles to get from A to B, bicycling to work, into town or to go out in the evening. Despite this, almost all the traditional bicycle helmets on the global market have a sporty design. At the same time, image is becoming increasingly important to us and our clothes and accessories are an essential part of the way we express ourselves. Lots of people are deciding not to wear bicycle helmets because they think they look horrible and because they really don't go with their own personal style. The fact that people are choosing not to wear bicycle helmets when we all know how important the protection they provide is, was a clear sign that their design needed a radical makeover, adapting it to the demands of today's bicyclists and all their latest styles. A helmet that just sits on the shelf is no good to anyone.

Another main cause of accidents is bicycling when intoxicated. In Britain binge drinking is very common, especially amongst teenagers and students. People are less likely to think or care about wearing a helmet when drunk too. Helmets are fairly heavy so it is an inconvenience to have to wear one to or from somewhere as in between it has to be carried around.

I think this design would be very useful in countries and societies where cycling is common and cyclists are image and fashion conscious. The two places which spring to mind are Britain and China.
If brands were to collaborate with Hövding it would increase the awareness of the product for Hövding, make it 'cooler' to wear, and increase bicycle safety in general. The design is very easy to adapt, pattern wise.

Patterned Hövding

To promote this design the Government could create awareness campaigns about teenage bike accidents. 

Peterborough Evening Telegraph reporters photographed  sixteen  young cyclists riding without a helmet over a one hour period. The paper also featured photographs of a nine-year-old cyclist who was nearly killed on the 1st of July. The youngster was hit by a car and was not wearing his helmet. He suffered from serious head injury and broken bones. The boy’s family felt that  pictures of their son’s bike crash might encourage youngsters to think about their own safety.

These awareness campaigns could be shock tactic adverts on television, and they could show someone wearing variations of safety equipment, helmets and Hövding.

If collaborated with high fashion brands, the campaign photographs could be featured in fashion magazines such as Vogue and the fashion brands could hold fashion catwalk events.

Media coverage on Hövding would be useful too, coverage through the news, newspapers, articles in magazines etc.
The demonstration video could be pushed as a featured video on youtube too to encourage blogging and viewing.
Hövding could also branch out to promote via social media platforms: blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

They could also hold guerilla events in China and Britian.

$9 Cardboard Bike

Izhar Gafni, an inventor from Israel, has developed a bicycle made of cardboard, costing just £10 to make. Izhar Gafni has created a fully functioning, water-resistant bicycle, made, from seat to spokes, entirely of recycled cardboard. The technology makes the environmentalist's choice mode of transportation even a bit greener and affordable.

Carboard bike

The all cardboard bike is suprisingly durable: it can carry riders who weigh up to 485 pounds. A layer of coating atop the cardboard shields the bike from the elements and gives the finished product the look and feel of lightweight plastic. While the cost to make the bicycle ranges from nine to twelve dollars, the manufacturer expects to sell the vehicle for sixty to ninety dollars depending on the optional addition of an electric motor.

By folding over sheets to double their strength, he claims the machine is durable, waterproof and costs very little to produce. Everything apart from the brakes and chain is cardboard - including the seat. It comes with the option of an electric motor and a smaller child’s version weighing 3.5 kilos and with a production price of £5 is also in the pipeline.

Being so cheap to produce, yet so effective as a form of transport, this design could make a real impact on the lives of children living in third world countries, such as Africa and parts of Asia, who walk dozens of miles a day for school or to collect water and food for their families. It would provide them with a fast means of transport and provide them with a much higher quality of life.

To promote this item, I feel charities should fund mass production of these bikes and distribute them to third world countries through Government funding and  public and business sponsorship. The charities could promote the cause and campaign through campaigns on the television which cause the target audience to feel empathetic and guilty, and promote online and on the streets to the public.

They could also encourage children in schools to take part in sponsored events to raise money and awareness.