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HOWL - DCU students with Accenture 'Best Technology Enabled Solution' award

Conor Coyle and Colm Fallon, fourth year PhD students in the Faculty of Health and Human Performance at DCU, have won this year's 'Best Technology Enabled Solution' at the latest Accenture 'Leaders of Tomorrow' Awards.

Conor and Colm developed a concept, HOWL, that will help people protect their home and valuables from break-ins.

According to their submission, "With rising crime rates and people being increasingly conscious about protecting their home and valuable possessions from break-ins, HOWL will give people total peace of mind. A product that is not available anywhere else in the world, HOWL provides real time monitoring of a person’s existing alarm system, sending alerts directly to their smart phone when the alarm activates. What’s more, users are able to access live camera feeds of their premises and avoid the ‘false alarms’ created by pets or windy weather. Often home alarm systems are activated without anyone notifying the home owner or Gardai but this initiative gives the user full knowledge and control, whether they’re in Dublin or Dubai. It also presents a cost-effective solution compared with other options available in the marketplace."

The 'Leaders of Tomorrow' award aims to identify, foster and recognise leadership potential and innovative thinking amongst Irish graduates. It is designed to nurture and develop innovative ideas or concepts which may positively impact some of the challenges facing Ireland today. Open to third level university graduates across the country, the award also seeks to develop the next generation of talent that will help shape the public, private and social landscape of Ireland in the coming years.

The judges of this year's competition were Accenture Ireland's Managing Director Mark Ryan; Accenture Ireland's Client Director, Marian Corcoran; David Guinane, former CEO of Permanent TSB; Liam Kavanagh, MD of The Irish Times; Robert Watt, Secretary General of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and Albert McQuaid, Chief Technology Officer, Kerry Pharma, Nutritional and Functional Ingredients.

They judges were very impressed by Conor and Colm's cost-effective use of technology and innovative approach to a common problem.

Conor's supervisors are Dr. Paul Swift and Dr. Stephen Daniels, and Colm's supervisors are Professor John Costello and Professor Eugene Kennedy.