A unique anti-drowning device, designed by students from Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), has been announced as one of 20 finalists for this year’s James Dyson awards on October 27. The Hydro-FLOcean (H-FLO) is a safety device that is composed of two segments that separate when under water. It is worn in between the connection of lanyard and safety harness and is designed to free the user from a sinking attachment. The James Dyson Award is a national and international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. There is €35,000 on offer to the person who can invent something that could solve major global issues. In order to have a chance to make it to October’s final global awards, participating teams must first win their own national finals. Earlier this month, it was announced that the H-FLO device won the Irish James Dyson Award for 2016. Now, having won the Irish national, the H-FLO can celebrate making the prestigious global shortlist of 20. Inspired by the tragic drownings of two people at Limerick's Thomond Bridge last year, the H-FLO team is now looking to bring the device to the automotive and offshore oil rigging industries. Project leader, 27-year-old Arran Coughlan, spoke to the Engineers Journal last month and explained some of the engineering involved in the development of the H-FLO. Read more here.