Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
This year’s winner of the James Dyson Award (competitors are told to “design something that solves a problem.” Not as easy as it sounds.) could feel comfortable in both a live-saving situation at sea or a high-octane sequence in an action film. The Longreach Buoyancy Deployment System is a lifebuoy-firing bazooka that can launch inflatable life-belts up to 500 feet to potentially drowning victims, far enough away for lifesavers to be out of harm’s reach.
Each life-buoy blasts into the sea and expands from its shootable bullet-shape into a circular buoyancy aid once it hits the water. The only thing I’d be worry about is the buoy hitting me in the head instead of diving into the water which, yes, could leave me with a lifebuoy, but could also leave me unconscious. The Longreach Buoyancy Deployment System is soon to go into field testing at Surf Life Saving NSW, Australia.
