DUBAI // A wristband that alerts lifeguards if swimmers spend too long underwater could help cut drowning deaths.
Trials of the system, called Sensa, will begin in two weeks at several hotels in Dubai.
If successful, its makers hope it could be adopted by many of the emirate's 20,000 pools.
Rob White, whose UK-based firm, the Swimming Pool Safety Company, pioneered the technology, believes it could catch on in the UAE.
"It's going to change the face of lifeguarding the world over," he said. "It's really cutting edge technology."
Swimmers are given wristbands containing a sensor. If the device stays deeper than 60cm underwater for more than 20 seconds, it triggers an alarm on the lifeguard's pager.
The trial follows a spate of drownings at beaches across Dubai. But because of the need to install an underwater sensor, it is unlikely it could be used on swimming beaches.
The complete package costs a little more than Dh100,000 for one pool - but Mr White believes the system will allow for more cost-efficient lifeguard staffing levels.
"In the UK, budgets are getting tight and reducing the number of lifeguards is something that people are looking at now," he said.
The company's underwater video camera system has been adopted by major water parks in Britain, including Alton Towers, Center Parcs and Butlins.
It has also been installed in the 100-metre swimming pool in the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex in Dubai.
Mr White said cultural sensitivities meant that wristbands were a better option than cameras in the Middle East.
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Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
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Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
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