Kyla Stanisich, whose family's passion for fishing was at least partially responsible for the brainwave, said three models, rechargeable even under artificial lights, were available (from little to big), with a wholesale price of around $200.
"Titans Inc." had a "drunken app", another gadget for the ubiquitous cellphone that delivered advice such as a warning against drink driving, and if that didn't work information in the form of maps and useful phone numbers for the likes of a taxi and medical services.
The most complicated offering was "Ready 2 Go's" extension for the drawbar of a boat trailer, which would negate the need to get the vehicle's wheels wet when launching and retrieving the boat, while the most chilling was a motorised skateboard (with tracks instead of wheels). It would handle all terrain, the designers said, with a top speed of up to 20km/h, and while they hadn't produced a prototype they reckoned it would sell for around $400.
For a few dollars more they would throw in a crash helmet. There was no mention of knee or elbow pads, or a subsidised St John membership.
Slightly more pedestrian were "Comfortables", purveyors of bras (rack pack) and men's underpants (jock pock), not stunningly innovative in their basic design but featuring strategically placed pockets large enough to take a small cellphone. The jock pock was demonstrated as being handy for a commodity of much greater vintage than a phone, which some blokes presumably still like to carry with them in the event of an unforeseen social opportunity.
And while it was too late to influence the decisions, the assembled students showed some canniness in greeting the judges post-deliberations with thunderous applause. And they were rewarded with high praise.
Without exception, the judges said, they had been mightily impressed with what they had seen, several saying they had picked up ideas they would take back to their own businesses.
