Life preservers: a new approach
The new SeaPod from Salvare Worldwide is a self-inflating survival platform scheduled for market release during the first quarter of 2015.
Somewhere between a lifebuoy and a liferaft, the SeaPod is designed to preserve life in man overboard situations by providing a stable base upon which a survivor can avoid rapid onset of hypothermia by removing himself from cold sub-surface waters. It is a fact that most drownings occur because of loss of consciousness brought on by plummeting body-core temperature.
With a freeboard of a mere 7cm the SeaPod is much easier to board than a conventional life raft, making it accessible to all but the most seriously injured. Children, the elderly and moderately injured survivors have no difficulty in getting themselves out of the water.
SeaPod also provides essential assistance for people attempting to board larger rescue vessels or life rafts. SeaPod can also be lashed to other SeaPods in the case of multiple survivors.
The 1.8m diameter one-person SeaPod weighs less than 5Kg, is housed in a lightweight bag that also serves as a sea anchor once SeaPod has been deployed. Being no larger than a brief case, Salvare claims that the SeaPod can be thrown overboard by almost anyone – no excessive strength or throwing skill is required. Upon contact with water SeaPod is ready for use in 5 seconds, and being of mirror-image design there is no such thing as an unusable upside-down deployment.
For larger numbers of people Salvare Worldwide is also launching a 3m diameter (four person) version, whilst for shoreline and riverbank use there is a 1.4m diameter SeaPod with a rope tether enabling much more effective rescues than old-fashioned life buoys.
By Jake Frith
