The “Buoy”, Ring tracker, and flotation device. (2017)
This idea started in 2009. While on my honeymoon in Jamaica, I noticed that my new wedding ring was loose. During our trip any time I was in the water I was swimming with my left hand in a fist to ensure that my ring didn’t fall off.
When we returned home, we took our Pugs to the dog park. Next to the dog park is a lagoon where people kayak, paddleboard, and enjoy other water activities. I assumed that all dogs could swim, so I threw my Pugs off of the boat dock and into the water. One of my Pugs swam back, but my heavier Pug sank. As I pulled my Pug out of the water, I noticed that my ring was gone. My wife was upset, and I spent the next 3 days in the water looking for my ring. After a few days, I found a gentleman online with a metal detector and he went in the water and found my ring!
After losing my wedding ring, I learned that many people lose their rings shortly after they get married. Besides the cost of a ring, more importantly, the sentimental value of your ring is not replaceable. I thought something has to be done to protect people’s rings. Hotel safes aren’t always safe and leaving your ring in your bag while on the beach isn’t the best idea either, as someone can steal your bag. I had thought about creating a device to solve this problem.
We decided to create the Buoy. The buoy is a ring flotation and tracking device that goes around the user’s ring before they enter the water and if their ring falls off, the Buoy will float the ring to the surface and you can use the app to track your ring.
This is a product that we didn’t launch. We took it all the way through prototyping and set up a booth at a huge wedding expo at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. We had a long line of people signing up to pre-order the Buoy; however, when we were in the development stages, technology at the time wasn’t where it is today. From customer feedback that we obtained along with observation, we knew that the product should be smaller. Fast forward to today and the technology has gotten better. If time permits, maybe we can finally launch the Buoy in the near future.
The photos above highlight the design and building process. It starts with the sketch, initial prototyping stages to final MVP (Minimum Viable Product). It’s always fun to see an image in your mind come to life. Enjoy.
