Inventor Creates Flotation Device Bazooka

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 6, 2010 @05:37AM 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."

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Re:Projectile? by rubycodez · 2010-10-06 05:40 · Score: 5, Funny

you'll be delighted to know that the impacted human will not have drowning as their cause of death
200 year old technology by vlm · 2010-10-06 05:43 · 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

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"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Re:Projectile? by Farmer+Tim · 2010-10-06 05:48 · Score: 5, Funny

What about hitting a drowning human?
Not as easy as hitting the water, but worth more points.

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