Forget climbing on chairs to change your smoke alarm battery. Connect it to a control box at a comfortable height. In addition, you will receive evacuation assistance if the room becomes smoke-filled. In April, Bo Andersson's double fire safety innovation won the first prize in Västernorrland's largest idea competition, jagharenidé.nu.
Bo Andersson from Mellansel outside Örnsköldsvik has worked with product development most of his life. Today he is retired, but has not been able to give up inventing.
- "It's the most fun I know, I'm always thinking of new solutions," he says.
He got the idea for his latest innovation when he realized that many people find it difficult to change the battery in the fire alarm in the ceiling.
- "If you are in a wheelchair, it's impossible. But even many of us find it difficult to stand on a chair and balance. It's also not so nice to press the test button and get a loud sound straight to the ear," says Bo Andersson.
The result was a control box at a comfortable height on the wall that is connected by a cable to the smoke alarm. Because the battery is in the box, it is easy to test and replace it.
- The target group is all types of households, but not least 55 plus homes and other concepts for seniors.
The control box also contains a smart evacuation aid that uses light to guide people out of a smoke-filled room, but can also guide the emergency services in.
- "If you are woken up by the smoke alarm without being able to orientate yourself and get out, you have not won anything," says Bo Andersson.
The design is complete and Bo Andersson is now working on developing prototypes of the control box that he can show to partners and financiers.
- The goal is to have it on the market during the year.
He does not want to reveal which parts other than light are activated in the evacuation aid for patent reasons.
The first prize in jagharenide.nu consists of a voucher of SEK 50,000 to be used to buy consulting services from BizMaker's procured suppliers.
His innovation has attracted great interest even outside Västernorrland. In November 2022, Bo Andersson took home the first prize, SEK 100,000, in a competition organized by the Swedish Inventors' Association and DHR, the organization for people with reduced mobility.
But this was not the first time Bo Andersson has won a prestigious inventor's prize. In 2015, he won the jarharenide.nu competition for the first time, with his idea to prevent electrical accidents.
- With hindsight, I was too early. But now, with the solar cell boom, the time was ripe. But to get the product on the market, I need to find financiers," says Bo Andersson, who has also developed a laser product that makes it easier to drill holes in wall panels for electrical installations, which is sold via his own web shop.
One tip for other innovators is to join an inventors' association.
- "I took my first idea to Idéforum Örnsköldsvik 40 years ago. They are a perfect sounding board before you are ready for the next step," says Bo Andersson.
CONTACT
Ewa Sandeheim, project manager jagharenidé.nu, BizMaker
tel 070-667 19 94
ewa.sandeheim@bizmaker.se
