A University of Limerick graduate wins an international award for designing an underwater breathing system.
Cathal Redmond who is a graduate of the Product Design and Technology course in the University of Limerick, won the Irish James Dyson award in September for his Express Dive underwater device.
Express Dive is a lightweight underwater breathing system. This handheld device allows divers to extend their time under the water by two to three minutes.
You breathe the same way as you would with a regular scuba tank.
Cathal Redmond got the idea while scuba diving in Crete. He wanted to go deeper underwater but could not hold the air in his lungs for long enough.
He has been awarded second place in the James Dyson International Design Competition, competing against seven hundred entrants from twenty countries.
The awards are an opportunity for students to exhibit their work and creativity, explains Muireann McMahon, course director at the UL Department of Product Design and Technology. It also gives them confidence to pursue those ideas once they leave college.
Cathal Redmond plans to use his winnings to develop and manufacture Express Dive and bring it to the open market.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 November 2015. The reporter is Will Goodbody.
