Drowning Problems : Develop a Device to Save Lives from It.

Throughout the 20th century, drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths. (WHO, 2015). In 2016, an estimated 320, 000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide and in 2015, injuries accounted for over 9% of total global mortality.

In South East Asia, drowning is a significant issue. As the World Health Organization (WHO) reports the number of drowning deaths each year, it is estimated that more than half of these occur in South-East and the Western Pacific Region. It is a staggering number, yet this global problem isn‘t receiving the serious attention it needs.

In many parts of Asia, drowning is now a leading killer of children over the age of 1. In Bangladesh, 40 children drown every day. Over 90% of drowning happens in Africa and Asia. Some of these happen in low and middle-income countries, some of them lacking basic water safety education and services. In the Philippines, from year 2006 up to 2013, 3,276 people die each year because of drowning and submersion. It is the second-leading cause death among children aged 14 years and below according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This is also supported by the study conducted by Safe Kids Philippines, the Philippines Life Saving Society and the Department of Health, that there are almost 2,000 children die yearly from drowning.

In response, multiple devices were developed to save human lives from drowning. In 1854, RNLI Inspector, Captain Ward, did this with the invention of the cork lifejacket – the first lifejacket ever to be issued to lifeboat crew member, also during the 18th century, traditional rings invented. However, Traditional rings are cumbersome and heavy, difficult to throw any distance and are much harder to throw accurately. Flotation pillows have no lines attached to them, leaving the victim bobbing in the water.

However, there are many actions to prevent drowning. Installing barriers (e.g. covering wells, using doorway barriers and playpens, fencing swimming pools etc.) to control access to water hazards, or removing water hazards entirely greatly reduces water hazard exposure and risk.

But, accident may occur anytime and to anyone, and those preventions are not enough to save human lives. That is why we, the researchers come up with the idea of developing a 21st century life-saver device throughout a mimic those strategies found in nature to solve human challenges. We come up to the idea of Biomimicry which offers an empathetic, interconnected understanding of how life works and ultimately where we fit in. The researchers aim to create products, processes, and policies that will save human lives. In which could solve our greatest design challenges sustainably and in solidarity with all life on Earth. The researchers have chosen subject the idea of the pufferfish, adapting it to become a life saving device would be useful. The pufferfish, also known as blown fish or toadfish, is a unique species of fish popular for its inflatable body and sharp poisonous spikes as a defense mechanism. Unlike common fish with scales, puffer fish have thick and rough skin. Other species have spines on their skin.

Its stomach area is the most elastic part of the body. Pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size. When face in danger or provoked, the pufferfish fills up with water like a balloon, hence its nickname of balloon fish. It then attacks predators or its own prey with its poisonous spines. As we today, used this idea to create a life saver device to prevent people from drowning. That when people tend to drown the device provokes, and this would puff up and will automatically activate its smart function.

Pufferfish is the second most poisonous vertebrate in the world, trailing only the Golden Poison Frog, would it be possible and feasible to create a life saver device from one of the poisonous vertebrate? With this, we have found a golden opportunity to focus on developmental solution particularly a life saving device specifically from the nature functions of pufferfish- its ability to protect itself from danger. Seeing how problematic the drowning is, we decided to address the issue by developing a device that creates variance among other life-saving gears.

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