A Gilbert, Arizona father is turning anxiety into action in the hope of preventing child drownings.
Lee Kambar has two daughters, ages 1 and 10, and admits he gets nervous when they're around water.
"It's a nervous feeling I can never shake off," Kambar said. "When we are around pools, I always have to be next to my children."
Kambar is inventing a device called Morningstar SOS. It floats in the pool, equipped with cameras on the top and bottom.
Kambar said the cameras will detect motion above — and below — the water, alerting parents via an app.
"Say you miss that first alert, and your child happens to jump in the pool, and it's a drowning case," Kambar said. "The bottom camera will send you another notification with a live video feed of the crisis as it's happening in real time."
Kambar says the device isn't meant to replace other safety precautions, but instead act as another layer of defense.
"If Morningstar SOS prevents one single drowning I believe I've succeeded in my mission," he said.
Kambar is still in the process of creating the app and the device. He hopes to make it available for sale by next Summer, with the cost estimated somewhere below $1,000.
According to data tracked by ABC15, at least 14 children have drowned in the Valley in 2018. Another 13 came close.
"Thinking about it gives me chills," Kambar said. "I can't imagine any father or mother going through such a tragedy."
