Topics: asap, lifesaving, ross kemp, sir richard branson, support craft, watercraft <\/p>\n
A YOUNG British inventor hopes to revolutionise Australian beaches with a one-person motorised lifesaving craft that has won awards in the UK. <\/p>\n
And Ross Kemp has some heavy-hitting support, with Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson flying him to Australia to test his craft on our beaches. <\/p>\n
The Asap, as Mr Kemp's craft is known, combines the manoeuvrability of a small paddleboard with on-board electric propulsion to help reach people in trouble faster. <\/p>\n
He developed his idea while doing lifesaving training in Britain and designed his first prototypes during his product design degree at Loughborough University. <\/p>\n
In September last year, while refining Asap at the university, he won investment from businessman Richard Reed on the BBC TV show Be Your Own Boss. <\/p>\n
It was there that Asap caught the attention of Sir Richard, who offered to fly Mr Kemp to Australia to test the product with world-class lifeguards. <\/p>\n
\"It's taken months of long days, even longer nights and strong coffees, but we've designed a fantastic rescue product which I am certain will help rescuers reach people in the water quicker,\" Mr Kemp said. <\/p>\n
\"Australia is one of the best places in the world to test our product, with some of the world's greatest lifeguards.\" <\/p>\n
Sir Richard, who owns luxury Makepeace Island in the Noosa River and occasionally visits the Sunshine Coast, said he had a deep passion for protecting the ocean but was also familiar with its dangers. <\/p>\n
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New board motors in to test waters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Topics: asap, lifesaving, ross kemp, sir richard branson, support craft, watercraft A YOUNG British inventor hopes to revolutionise Australian beaches with a one-person motorised lifesaving craft that has won awards in the UK. Continue reading