Upon research into why there are so many drownings that occur, I wanted to ask the question of why? Why are people STILL drowning even though there are huge advancements in safety equipment? Why are these devices not working? Why are these devices so expensive? All of these questions led to the creation of the Guardian. A cost effective life-raft that completely removes the risk of human error by being self activating and self inflating. The Guardian tackles the biggest issues regarding a Man Overboard situation. These issues can be seen as:
1) Time: The time it takes to retrieve the MOB
2) Visualization: Assuring that you can see the MOB at all times in all conditions
3) Human error: Making sure that the device does all of the work to reduce possible mistakes
4) Hypothermia: Reducing the risk of hypothermia by keeping the MOB out of the water
And so, the Guardian was developed...
The Guardian is a self-inflating life raft for the event of a man overboard situation while sailing. The main function of the device is to provide the victim in the water extra time to survive while awaiting rescue from the crew. The raft has an elevated beacon that houses a water activated LED strobe light and Automatic Identification System (AIS) that allows crew members to know where the MOB is at all times. Once the device has inflated, the victim would be able to climb inside the raft which would keep their body out of the water, reduce their energy exertion and provide extra survival time in all weather conditions.
The deflated raft is vacuum packed inside a capsule located at the back of the boat where it would be unobtrusive to the crew and easily accessible. In the event of a Man Overboard, a crew member would pull the pin of the capsule to release it using a compression spring and instantly deploying the raft into the water allowing for the device to self-inflate.
Internal straps make it easier for the MOB to reach inside the raft and pull themselves up. Around the inside of the raft has one way drainage systems that ensure that any water that goes into the raft can be drained to keep the victim as dry as possible.
The elevated beacon houses LED strips that can be seen from 360 degrees all around. The bright LED's will be flashing a bright strobe light to allow for the raft to be visible in all weather conditions and especially at night.
So as soon as the capsule hits the water, the victim will know where to swim to because the LED’s would light up instantly, reducing the time of the person being exposed to the cold water conditions. Because hypothermia is one of the biggest causes that lead to drowning, the Guardian houses a thermal space blanket to increase the victims body temperature when needed.
