Wednesday, 15 October 2008 08:00pm

Hosted by the effervescent James O'Loghlin, The New Inventors highlights the brightest new inventions in Australia. Tonight's show features new ideas on how to rescue a man overboard single-handedly; receive an SMS alert when thieves are active; and fill in holes to make the perfect flower arrangement. Deciding the winner of these three inventions are agricultural scientist Chris Russell, materials engineer Veena Sahajwalla and inventor and author Christine Kininmonth.

Inventions featured on the program:

Invention 1: Sea Scoopa by inventor Bob Wright from NSW Yachtsman
Bob Wright has always been concerned about the difficulty of retrieving crew who fall overboard. Lifting someone out of the water and onto a boat can be extremely difficult. There is a risk of falling in yourself or capsizing the vessel and, if the person is unconscious or hypothermic, rescue is virtually impossible. Bob's invention, the Sea Scoopa, works by scooping people into a net which is lifted out of the water, then rolling them up the side of the boat like a barrel. By using the Sea Scoopa and a winch, a small crew member with very little upper body strength can rescue the heaviest of drunken sailors.Sea Scoopa - rescue a man overboard single-handedly.

Invention 2: The Shaft by inventor Brendan Powning from VIC
After twenty years working as a rigger, Brendan Powning knows that theft on building sites is a major problem. But how do you protect building materials, tools and equipment left on site when there's no-one there? The Shaft is a security device that works on the GSM mobile phone network. Armed and set up by your mobile phone, it has a movement sensor inside that will trip at the slightest movement and send an SMS to you or your security guard. The Shaft has been developed for builders and tradesmen who need to protect their tools when on site, or when they leave them overnight.The Shaft - sends an SMS alert when thieves are active on site.

Invention 3: Ezy Bouquet by inventor Tony Amorico from SA.
Some great ideas have occurred to people whilst taking a bath, but they can happen in the shower as well. When Tony Amorico looked down at the bathroom grate he saw the solution to the problem facing bouquet makers, how to make a perfect arrangement. His Ezy Bouquet is a round plastic disc with a series of holes that flower stems can be inserted into. Legs underneath the disk support the stems and allow the arrangement to be held in place with a rubber band. Ezy Bouquet will allow florists to make thousands of identical bunches and to speed up their arranging especially in peak times, such as Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Ezy Bouquet - fill in the holes to make a perfect flower arrangement.

The New Inventors will be repeated on ABC2 - Saturday, October 18 at 6:05pm