Rescue Bouy

What is Rescue Bouy?

The Rescue Bouy is a life bouy that is created to simplify rescue operations in public areas. With an intuitive interface and design, enhancing the main features of the common life bouy, the Rescue Bouys goal is to hopefully save more lives … The project has been a part of the course design methodics during the spring of 2013. We are four students at Chalmers University of Technology that have, in collaboration with the Swedish Sea Rescue Society, tried to come up with a better solution for the life bouys of today.

Plan/Status/Ambitions

The assignment given by SSRS was to come up with a new type of life bouy that radically simplified the use and features of public lifesaving equipment. Down below follows a couple of pictures of our prototype.

Problem/Background

During a user test of the current life bouy we discovered that the main focus of the project would be to enhance the range, the precision and the ability to restore the safety cord after use.

The fundamental areas of improvment needed for sea-rescue at a beach or shoreline are as follows:

• Discoverability
• Range
• Precision
• Restoration of the life-bouy after use

Result/Solution

Here is different solutions that solved each of the promblems identified with the life bouy of today.

Discoverability
Bright colours that will be noticible both for the person on land but also for the one in the water. The shape and grapfhic reminds of how the typical lifebouy looks like since many people recognise this product and instinctively know its use. The shape also give the bouy a direction.

Range
Our user test showed that the averge throwing range of the life bouy was about 6 m. Two motors would greatly increase that number. A fast handle also showed to be a better soulution to increase the throwing range.

Precision
By incraseing or decreasing the rpm of the two motors you would be able to stear the bouy directly to the person in need of help. No more waste of time having to re-thorw the bouy to get it closer to the on in the water.

Restoration of the life-bouy after use
The line conected to the bouy is kept on a roll to prevent it from tanglening up when the product is used. This also makes it easier to restore after use.