Inflatable armbands, usually referred to as simply armbands, water wings, swimmies, or floaties, are swim aids designed to help a wearer float in

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

and learn to swim. Inflatable armbands are typically

cylindrical A cylinder () has traditionally been a Solid geometry, three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a Prism (geometry), prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may ...

, inflatable

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

bands that are inflated and worn on the upper arms. When the wearer is in water, the

air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

inside the armbands provides

buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is the force exerted by a fluid opposing the weight of a partially or fully immersed object (which may be also be a parcel of fluid). In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of t ...

, helping the wearer float. Although often thought of as a swimming aid for children, armbands are also available in adult sizes.

Advantages

Inflatable armbands are inexpensive, easy to find, and durable. They can help children to build confidence and learn to swim earlier. The amount of flotation provided can be decreased by deflating them partially. During swimming lessons, children may do better in difficult lessons and be easier to supervise if they wear armbands.

Criticism

Despite their popularity, some swimming experts advise against using inflatable armbands. Although they can help a child to float, they can slip off and lead to drowning. Inflatable armbands are not a life-saving device, and mistaking them for one can create a dangerous false sense of security. Additionally, inflatable armbands teach children to float in a vertical position, which is incorrect because swimming is usually done in a

prone position Prone position () is a body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal side is up, and the ventral side is down. The supine position is the 180° contrast. Etymology T ...

. Children who wear armbands can become dependent on them, as well.

Safety standards

National safety standards such as BS EN 13138-3:2007 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

require inflatable armbands to conform to certain standards, like puncture resistance and the level of buoyancy retained after a period of time beyond the inflation valve being opened and left open. This is an assessment of the efficiency of non-return valves designed to prevent the armbands from deflating suddenly if an inflation valve comes open. Standards also require prominent labelling near the inflation valves stating that inflatable armbands are not life preservers and should only be used under competent supervision. Supervisors should be in the water within an arm's reach of the person wearing inflatable armbands.

History

There are several historical devices that had similar purposes as inflatable armbands. In 1907, swimming became part of the school curriculum in England and caused parents to become more concerned with their children's safety in the water. In response to parents' worries, the Dean's Rag Book Company,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, introduced the Swimeesy Buoy, inflatable armbands with a colorful design that looked like the wings of a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

. A plain white version was also available. The product became so popular that it was available, almost unchanged, until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In October 1931, a design for water wings appeared in the magazine ''Modern Mechanix''. They were made of

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

, consisted of two parts, were worn on the upper arms, and inflated through a valve. They were first demonstrated in public on the beaches of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, USA. A similar design of inflatable armbands for swimmers was invented by Bernhard Markwitz in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. In 1956, Markwitz's three-year-old daughter fell into a goldfish pond and nearly drowned. As a result, Markwitz invented and developed a swimming aid that would be safer for children than swimming rings, which at the time, were made of cork. A lottery win of 253,000

Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...

s gave him a suitable start capital. In 1964, Markwitz developed the armbands in their final form and marketed them under the name "BEMA". They remain popular in Germany to this day.

References

External links