Floodsack

What it does

Floods are a frequent & inevitable disaster in Malaysia which causes millions of ringgit's worth of domestic losses. Floodsack is a novel solution to preserve your valuables in floods by keeping it buoyant above floodwaters for weeks, activating under minutes.

Your inspiration

Floods, frequent in Malaysia and worldwide, will worsen. In 2021, Malaysia's flood losses amounted to RM6.1 billion, with RM1.6 billion from domestic or household losses. Floodwaters destroy valuables. The most important thing in a flood is to protect our lives, not our belongings. Lives are lost due to the slow response time while trying to save belongings. Personal documents, electronics, family photos, and jewellery are irreplaceable if destroyed. Floodsack is essentially a lifejacket for your belongings in a flood. The idea came when we saw the quick response time needed during a flash flood and how many are caught off guard by its speed.

How it works

Floodsack is made from 3 layers of recyclable & durable polymers, enclosed & sealed to each other to form 2 compartments: A storage compartment & a gas compartment, connected to each other. The gas compartment acts as a buoy that inflates when it is activated by the puncturing of a water sachet by the user. It contains 2 chemical packets (an acid & a base) & a water sachet. The gas compartment is permanently sealed during manufacturing. The storage compartment is the part of the Floodsack which stores your belongings. The storage compartment has a gusset feature which allows for more storage room. At the opening & lining of the storage compartment is a seal tape which seals the Floodsack permanently during use. In a flood, the user simply stores their belongings inside the storage compartment, removes the liner off the seal tape to seal the Floodsack, grips the water sachet which activates the Floodsack to inflate within minutes, remaining buoyant for 2 weeks.

Design process

Floodsack employed a community-centered design approach with rapid prototyping & iterative testing to ensure user relevance & functionality. We conducted surveys with flood victims & emergency responders to understand critical needs & challenges during floods, resulting in a technically functional device that has the potential to safeguard belongings in a flood. User feedback highlighted the irreplaceable nature of essential supplies, documents, electronics & valuables, guiding our design requirements: a solution to protect belongings swiftly & effectively during flash floods. Initial concepts were sketched, followed by early prototypes which were tested in simulated flood conditions to evaluate durability, buoyancy, & ease of use. Our iterations included experimenting with waterproof materials & floatation, developing a compact, deployable design. User testing at each stage led to enhancements in seal integrity, storage capacity, & deployment speed. Expert advice in materials science & emergency management refined our approach, ensuring robustness & reliability. Our design process, driven by the urgent need to protect lives & belongings, ensures a rapid response during floods. The end product is a robust, user-friendly solution, ready to be your lifeline in a flood.

How it is different

Floodsack is a novel invention, patented in several countries. The closest comparison we can find is to dry bags. Unlike dry bags, Floodsack offers superior durability and buoyancy. Dry bags can be compromised by wear, UV exposure, overpacking, and condensation. They only float for a few hours due to air leakage, which decreases buoyancy. Proper storage and maintenance are crucial for dry bags, which are heavier and bulkier than regular bags. Floodsack addresses these issues with enhanced waterproofing and buoyancy, making it a more reliable solution for protecting belongings during floods. Floodsack supports up to 4KG, remaining buoyant for over a week. It features two compartments, unlike dry bags' single compartment. It’s low-cost, single-use, and requires no maintenance. The design is compact, allowing easy transportation and distribution. Unlike dry bags, Floodsack does not require upkeep, making it an efficient solution for flood scenarios.

Future plans

Floodsack’s aim is to safeguard valuables. Hence, we will not just work on improving the optimal weight. Floodsack is able to withstand while being buoyant for the same duration in flood conditions, but also develop a larger version of Floodsack that could be used in flood aid deployments, and humanitarian crises. Furthermore, we are working on developing a set of products that works in tandem with Floodsack to ensure users have ample time to react to a potential flood, as well as flood meters and other related technologies.

Awards

ITEX (International Invention, Innovation, and Technology Exhibition) 2024, WYIE Gold Award