| Abstract |
In 2024 I brought a water detection sensor design to SciFest at ATU Donegal and won the Business Excellence Institute Award. To test if the detector worked, I individually tested each component first to check for any faults and then I attached them all to the Arduino board for an overall test of the system in and out of water. In this prototype, the detector worked without any problems but the current was too high for an LED so I added a resistor. I developed this project further for SciFest@College in ATU Donegal in 2025 and had a prototype that detected water and location. This consisted of a microcontroller connected to all components: a battery, a water sensor that collected the water data, a transceiver to send a message home if water was detected, an LED to confirm activation for the casualty, and a GPS module to receive the casualty’s coordinates. I also replaced the radio-based communication system with a more reliable LoRa system to give me a fully working sensor that won the Runner-up Best Project Award at SciFest@College in ATU Donegal. Since then, I have added a rotational sensor and have 3D printed wearable housing. I also tested my device in laboratory conditions using both saltwater and freshwater samples to troubleshoot any errors or delays in triggering the alarm. I conducted extensive in-field testing with the device hundreds of times before finally testing it on volunteers over a six-week period.
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