Miscellaneous Gadgets

Seascout Automatic Rescue Boat for Overworked Lifeguards

by James

Summertime usually means a trip to the beach for most people and that usually translates to about seven thousands drowning in the waters off shore every year. Whether the life guards couldn’t reach them in time or because they simply got carried away in a wicked undertow, many could’ve easily been rescued if something like the SEASCOUT Aquatic Rescue Robot was patrolling nearby.

The idea is simple. Each swimmer wears a GPS unit which can be activated should the swimmer become in distress. The rest if up to the Seascout, which will pick up the GPS beacon and make a beeline straight for the drowing victim and scoop them up to safety.

Designed by Andre Harley, a student at the Designskolen Kolding University in Denmark, the Seascout can also be directed manually or programmed to patrol in a random fashion until needed. It contains a internal lighting, a sunroof, a radio system to call for further aid, and is painted in a bright yellow to spot easily (although international orange will probably be it’s ultimate color configuration). Harley created a concept Seascout using a radio controlled boat cut in half and a Lego MindStorms Robotic Kit.

And it’s uses go beyond beachside rescues, as SeaScouts can be deployed from ships, oil rigs, oceanliners, or anywhere else near a body of water.

Hat Tip – DVice

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5 Comments

Seascout Automatic Rescue Boat to Save You From the Salty Drink » The UberReview Says: July 7, 2008 at 7:23 pm

[...] the fact is that technology like this probably could save some of them. [Andre Harley via DVice, Coolest Gadgets] digg_skin = ‘compact’;digg_window = ‘new’;Tags: ocean, Outdoors, rescue, [...]

Gallery of posts up to 07-08-2008 » Coolest Gadgets Says: July 8, 2008 at 4:48 am

[...] Seascout Automatic Rescue Boat for Overworked Lifeguards [...]

Seascout – Automatic Lifeguard Rescue Boat – Hacked Gadgets – DIY Tech Blog Says: July 8, 2008 at 10:26 am

[...] Coolest Gadgets and [...]

pk Says: July 13, 2008 at 5:38 pm

It is interesting to see that the life saving technology of this kind available….can this tech identify wether the person in distress is concious or unconcious after the distress call activated?

Surely this will make a life saving a difference in multiple distress in one location, when the product have the capability and capacity to identify wether the personnel in distress is either concious or unconcious condition, and decide the order of attendence. This way this seascout will be more functioned as life saver than just a picker unit.

Andre Says: February 20, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Thanks for the real life feedback pk, as a pulse monitor or such type device can also be placed in or on the self worn activation device, being in this case a watch type product. Therefore monitoring and giving instant feedback once activation has commenced, on which patient, that if is multiple, needs assistance first and foremost, also this type unit would be built to assist only 2 patients in one saving. Due to oversizing can lead to a slower unit, thus slower response time, where time is of the utmost importance here. Unconcious patients are very difficult to manage, as you could imagine, but seascout can fill its balist tanks to submerge only a few metres for short periods.

But again, thanks for the tip and this feedback is treasured.

A.

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