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Inventor Creates Flotation Device Bazooka

Posted by samzenpus on from the point-shoot-and-save dept.

Australian inventor Sam Adeloju has won the £20,000 ($32,000) James Dyson Award for inventing the coolest piece of life-saving equipment ever. The Longreach is a modified bazooka which can fire an expanding flotation device up to 150m to a person in distress. From the article: "Mr Adeloju told NEWS.com.au that the Longreach was inspired by a grenade-launch training session with the Army Reserves. Weighing just 3.5kg, it shoots the rescue device 150m in a manner similar to the way the army uses a grenade launcher to deliver flares and aerial observation devices. Hitting the water activates an expanding foam unit in the Longreach rescue unit, which also incorporates LED illumination and a vortex air whistle."

12 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Projectile? by Reilaos · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Hitting the water activates an expanding foam unit..."

    What about hitting a drowning human?

    1. Re:Projectile? by rubycodez · · Score: 5, Funny

      you'll be delighted to know that the impacted human will not have drowning as their cause of death

    2. Re:Projectile? by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 5, Funny

      What about hitting a drowning human?

      Not as easy as hitting the water, but worth more points.

      --
      Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
    3. Re:Projectile? by Migraineman · · Score: 4, Funny

      When the first one hits the water and inflates, you can use it as a shield.

      Sailor1:"Damn, I missed."
      Sailor2:"Shoot him again."
      Sailor1:"This isn't a video game, I'm trying to save the guy."
      Sailor2:"You'd better hurry, he's gonna camp behind the first one."
      Sailor1: *foomp*

  2. Er.. by iONiUM · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So uh, what happens when your aim is a little too good, and you beam someone in the water with this 3.5kg thing? It's hard to swim when you're unconscious..

    1. Re:Er.. by Faatal · · Score: 3, Informative

      Probably takes some training to be good at shooting it accurately. For example I worked as a lifeguard for several summers when I was in high school. When we threw rescue tubes (those red foam things), we were taught to always overthrow the target and then pull the tube back toward the victim so they can latch on easily.

    2. Re:Er.. by loafula · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If I'd have to make a wager, I'd say the risk of hitting a person in the head with the projectile is much less than the risk of that person having to swim 150m through rough seas to get to a raft dropped off the side of a boat.

      --
      FOXTROT UNIFORM CHARLIE KILO
  3. Scrubs, anyone? by Dan+Dankleton · · Score: 4, Funny

    A floatation device bazooka sounds like something that The Janitor from Scrubs would create

  4. 200 year old technology by vlm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That tech is about 200 years old. No kidding. 1st documented rescue rocket rescue 18 February 1808.

    http://members.iinet.net.au/~dodd/gail/publications/trengrouse/Essay.html

    --
    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
  5. Re:Up to 150m you say? by aquila.solo · · Score: 3, Informative

    See, the problem with your invention is that it doesn't involve shooting a floaty-grenade launcher. Back to the drawing board with you!

    ;-)

  6. Re:Beach balls at sporting events? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 3, Funny

    and say "oops, my aim was off" when the fan gets smashed in the face by the deflated projectile. Cool, huh?

    Just ask Maude Flanders how cool that is.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  7. Re:150m isn't that far by qc_dk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've a reasonable fraction of my life along the northwestern coast of Denmark, which has some very tricky beaches. The most dangerous places can be those without waves, especially if it's windy. An area with no waves in strong winds is a sign of very strong undertows. The locals learn to read the waves, but tourist think "what a lovely calm piece of water, I'll swim there". They then get dragged out to sea, and even the strongest swimmers can't fight the currents. Many drown not from being overwhelmed by waves but from exhaustion fighting the currents. A flotation device would be perfect in those cases. They'll be able to keep themselves afloat and much easier to spot and retrieve by boat or helicopter, because there is no way anyone sane would be swimming out after them.