Tekrasport Ltd
After an injury forced Tekrasport founder, John Hanley, into retirement from rugby, he threw himself into new challenges – swimming and triathlons on Ireland’s West Coast beside some of Europe’s finest unspoilt beaches.
John, an engineer with over 30 years’ experience, is a 3-time Ironman triathlete and active open water swimmer.
As a competitor, race organiser and parent, John realised that swim safety devices were limiting people’s performance in the open water and he decided to use his engineering background to design a new type of device, one that would help first timers overcome anxiety and push experienced swimmers to improve. John wanted to improve upon the standard tow floats that he had seen in various open water swimming locations. This led to the development of the Tekrapod, the first open-water safety device, designed specifically for open- water swimmers.
From this, John extended his range, with one of his most recent innovations being the Tekralite, an 100% waterproof, wireless, rechargeable, LED strobe light for added visibility for swimming in low light conditions.
Problem to be Solved
Tekrasport Ltd approached WiSAR Lab to investigate software updates to improve the end user experience of the innovate Tekralite. In collaboration with Tekrasport, WiSAR researchers developed movement sensor technology for the device. Following that, activation/deactivation controls were developed, and the residual battery life of the device was increased.
Impact & Benefits
The partnership with WiSAR Lab, enabled Tekrasport to increase the functionality and improve the power consumption of their innovative Tekralite, the only 100% waterproof rechargeable light on the market. By working with WiSAR researchers, Tekrasport Ltd were able to improve the end-user experience and residual battery life of their innovative light, for multi-purpose use in many recreational sports including running, cycling and kayaking.
These improvements to the Tekralite have increased the devices potential to be a game changer in the recreational sport industry.
