Peggy鈥檚 Cove is one of the most iconic sites in Canada. With its red and white picturesque lighthouse, the busy Nova Scotia tourist attraction draws in 800,000 visitors each year.
As iconic as the lighthouse may be, the rocks at Peggy鈥檚 Cove are also very dangerous. Over the years, the landmark has been site to multiple drownings, the most recent occurring last year. Regular visitors of the area will tell you to stay away from the black rocks, but some choose to disregard the warnings.听
It鈥檚 an ongoing issue that has sparked numerous discussions over the years about how to improve safety at the popular site. Last year, 43 warning signs were installed around the area, an initiative promoted by Paul D鈥橢on, special projects director with the . Now he鈥檚 partnering with a 麻豆传媒 Engineering Capstone team to design a lifesaving device that could further help prevent fatal drownings from taking place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to be able to really emphasize the danger of the Atlantic Ocean to people that aren鈥檛 from the Atlantic Coast,鈥� says Willem Glozanski, a member of the Dal mechanical engineering capstone team working with D鈥橢on. 鈥淏ut you have factors such as wind and rogue waves. These are enormous waves that can come out of nowhere, that build up off the coast, and come in and sweep people off the rocks.鈥�
Visitors to Peggy's Cove are warned to avoid black rocks slick with water. (Barry Coolen photo)
Small window for saving victims
Once a victim has fallen into the ocean, Glozanski says the best chance of rescue needs to happen within the first 60 seconds. He and his teammates, Liam Carson, Zach Gould and Tanner Duplessis have designed and built a launching device that will eject an inflatable lifejacket to the victim.
鈥淥ur client (D鈥橢on) said that when people are drowning and panicking, getting a rescue aid kick to them that keeps their head above water is really important. So, our idea was to get a floatation piece out rapidly,鈥� says Glozanski.
The red launcher uses compressed air to fire the projectile into the ocean. The device can travel 100 feet through high force winds. The projectile features CO2 cannisters that inflate a lifejacket once there is tension in the line. The lifejacket is tethered to the launcher by a plastic safety rope, allowing bystanders on the shore to pull the victim to safety.
Glozanski says his team would like to one day see five launchers installed along the Peggy鈥檚 Cove coastline, each 200 meters apart. The launchers would carry five accompanying projectiles and a visual instruction guide to show bystanders how to operate the device.
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Solving real-world problems
A prototype of the launcher will be on display at this year鈥檚 , happening today (Tuesday, April 11) on 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Sexton Campus.
The Faculty of Engineering鈥檚 Capstone Program gives senior year undergraduate students the opportunity to collaborate with industry partners on open-ended problems they don鈥檛 have the resources to tackle on their own.
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e all learned a ton from this project, especially just how challenging of a problem it (Peggy鈥檚 Cove) really is,鈥� says Glozanski. 鈥淲e鈥檝e enjoyed being able to get creative with designs and just think freely and start something from scratch and take it from an idea to an actual physical product.鈥�
On their next trip to Peggy鈥檚 Cove, Glozanski stresses that the capstone team will be a lot more cautious when viewing the waves. 鈥淲e鈥檙e boardwalk visitors now,鈥� he laughs.
鈥淭he thing about Peggy鈥檚 Cove is that it鈥檚 a tourist attraction, you鈥檙e not supposed to go swimming there, so there鈥檚 not a lifeguard on duty. So even who has ownership of the safety there is a bit of a question mark.鈥�
Following this year鈥檚 Capstone Conference, Glozanski hopes members of the Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society will continue to improve and develop the launcher, eventually presenting the device to the provincial government for approval.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very happy where we鈥檝e gotten it so far, but with more I think it can eventually be something that could be implemented,鈥� says Glozanski. 鈥淚 think the prospect of potentially saving someone who otherwise wouldn鈥檛 get saved is also inspiring. It鈥檚 exciting that our work might lead to that someday.鈥�
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Come and check out the projects
Drop by the Engineering Capstone Conference today to learn more about this and other students projects. Poster exhibition and judging take place from 1-3pm, with a winner of this year's conference announced at 4pm. Posters will be displayed in the Richard Murray Design Buidling and the IDEA Building on Sexton Campus. of all the poster presentations.