A motorized lifebuoy
USafe presented an innovation for safety at sea at METSTrade 2019 that won over the DAME Award jurors. Resembling a cross between a life ring buoy and a hydrospeed, this new remote-controlled safety equipment allows the recovery of boaters or swimmers in difficulty. Self-propelled and remotely controlled, the drone offers support to the person who has fallen into the water, which the pilot can then bring back to safety.
Rescue the boater quickly
Equipped with two thrusters and an electric motor on battery, the USafe buoy can reach a maximum speed of 15 km/h during 30 minutes. It has a weight of 13 kg equipped.
The propellers and their intakes, housed in the 2 arms of the USafe buoy, operate in both directions. An internal sensor reverses the direction of rotation if the buoy is turned over by a wave. Fully integrated, the propellers do not present any danger for the rescued person.
Two pairs of handles allow the rescued person to hold on tight.
A housing in the buoy holder accommodates the remote control, which has a simple joystick. Its induction charging avoids any error in connection and ensures that it is charged in case of emergency.
Use from land or boat
The USafe buoy has been designed for several types of use. From land, it can be remotely controlled by rescuers to reach a swimmer in difficulty as quickly as possible. Installed on the balcony of a large pleasure boat or on professional installations such as oil platforms or wind turbines, it can be used to recover a person who has fallen overboard.
