[14
JUN 00] COVENTRY UNIVERSITY NEWS
Students Tog Up For Disaster Protection
 Protective
clothing for the future will be unveiled by Coventry University at
their design show later this week.
A
revolutionary type of breathing apparatus for firefighters and a
protective suit for earthquake search and rescue personnel are just
two of the innovative designs being showcased.
They
have been dreamt up by Consumer Product Design and Industrial Product
Design students at Coventry University and will be on display at the design show, which is being opened on Friday at Coventry
City’s Highfield Road ground.
Cherolyn
Martindale's breathing apparatus incorporates a thermocouple-triggered
head-up display which alerts the wearer when the outside temperature
becomes dangerous.
Unlike
the separate helmet and breathing apparatus equipment currently in
use, this new design combines both helmet and apparatus, reducing the
time taken to don the equipment, which could save vital seconds in a
crisis situation.
 The
earthquake protection suit designed by Navin Sood was inspired by the
Turkish earthquakes which caused such devastation last year.
The
suit has padded elbow, knee and shin pads that can be inflated
manually or by using CO2 gas cylinders.
It
is made of a tough waterproof combination of kevlar and cordura and
includes detachable press-stud pockets which can be attached at a
variety of points on the suit, or used as small carrying cases.
Navin
said:
"When
I saw the Turkish rescue workers scrambling through the rubble in
little more than overalls, I thought that there was a need for a
suit that could provide far greater protection - and with practical
storage pockets that could be moved as necessary.”
The
show is open to the public free of charge from 17-21 June.
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