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Project Ryptide Drone Flies Life-Rings To Distressed Swimmers

Posted by samzenpus on from the lifeguard-drone dept.

Zothecula writes The speed that drones can be deployed makes them ideal for delivering items when time is of the essence. The Ambulance Drone and Defikopter, for example, are used for transporting defibrillators to those in need. Now, Project Ryptide plans to use drones to deliver life-rings to swimmers in distress. From the article: "The project, which is at pre-production prototype stage, was conceived by Bill Piedra, a part-time teacher at the King Low Heywood Thomas (KLHT) school in Stamford, Connecticut. Piedra began working on the design in January 2014 and then began developing it further with students at KLHT in September 2014. 'Ryptide was designed so that anyone can be a lifeguard,' Piedra tells Gizmag. 'We had the casual user in mind when we designed the basic model; someone that might take their drone to the beach, boating, a lake, or even ice skating. It could be useful in the case of someone falling through the ice while skating, for example.'"

40 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah sounds useful.. by fisted · · Score: 2

    It could be useful in the case of someone falling through the ice while skating

    ..but not in this scenario.

    --
    CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
    1. Re: Yeah sounds useful.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I did that 30 years ago and i still wonder how I made it out... In a movie I probably would find out that I actually didn't

  2. Ring itself should be a drone.. by RealGene · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The ring is a large but lightweight foam torus. Why not just embed the rotors directly, and fly the ring itself out to the swimmer?

    --
    Mission: To provide products that consume time and energy as entertainingly as permitted by the laws of thermodynamics.
    1. Re:Ring itself should be a drone.. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Because that turns the from a lightweight simple torus into a heavy and complicated mechanism - and introduces the problem of ensuring that nobody gets tangled in or injured by the rotor system. Not to mention that with the added weight, the torus now needs to be larger in order to support the weight of the equipment as well as the weight of the swimmer.

      Just dropping a bog standard torus makes everything simpler.

    2. Re:Ring itself should be a drone.. by RealGene · · Score: 1
      What happens when the 'casual beachgoer' misses the victim, hits them with their drone, or their drone crashes due to to the payload, or from hitting another beachgoer's drone? Lawsuits.

      A floatation device doesn't have to support weight, it has to be buoyant, which isn't the same thing.
      The blades (ducted fans, actually) can be guarded with mesh, the batteries can be designed and sized for one-time use.
      Using naturally buoyant foam is simpler than an inflatable. Even if the drone fails, it will float.

      --
      Mission: To provide products that consume time and energy as entertainingly as permitted by the laws of thermodynamics.
    3. Re:Ring itself should be a drone.. by Firethorn · · Score: 2

      Misses the victim: with your idea, they're screwed. With a reusable drone, it comes back for another ring.
      Hits them with the drone: They're light-weight enough that it shouldn't happen, plus the control software for a NON-LANDING drone shouldn't let it hit the sea.
      Crashes due to payload: This is why you use an inflatable device as opposed to a foam ring. Such a device can be tiny. A relative heavyweight device can be only 1.5 pounds. I'm sure it can be made lighter for a device that's not intended to be worn all day in the off chance you'll end up in the water.
      Another beachgoer's drone: First, you'd have this problem anyways. Second, if used for lifesaving the drone going out should have priority. Third, the lifeguard should be the one with the drone.

      Inflatables: The chance of failure is really miniscule, and you gain the benefits of a smaller size and less air resistance(probably more important).

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
  3. An example of where tech does not improve life. by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 3, Funny

    The image of three buxom ( female ) lifeguards running on the beach in skintight swimsuits with their assets bouncing up and down is so much more appealing then a minature helicopter flying over the beach.

    1. Re:An example of where tech does not improve life. by Translation+Error · · Score: 1

      Turn in your nerd card.

      --
      When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
    2. Re:An example of where tech does not improve life. by barc0001 · · Score: 1

      Not while you're drowning it isn't.

    3. Re:An example of where tech does not improve life. by cjb658 · · Score: 1

      No, maybe that's just his fetish.

  4. What's in a Name? by __aanhjr1420 · · Score: 1

    A defikopter does what, now?

    1. Re:What's in a Name? by ShaunC · · Score: 1

      Sounds like a deuce-dropper chopper. A pooey huey. Whirlybirds full of turds.

      --
      Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
    2. Re:What's in a Name? by ItsJustAPseudonym · · Score: 1

      That's its cousin, the DefiCopter.

  5. Not to be confused with "Project Riptide" by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

    Which is Perry King's attempt to pitch an "Exciting and hip sequel to the classic and beloved 80's "Riptide" TV series--starring me, Perry King!" Hopefully, this one will have more success, since "Project Riptide" mostly resulted in Perry King being banned from several studio lots and offices in L.A.

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  6. Would be cooler by digitalPhant0m · · Score: 1

    if these used a second 'y'. Rypetyde.

  7. I can't imagine this being actually useful. by nathan+s · · Score: 1

    Isn't part of the reason we need lifeguards because often victims are either unresponsive or panicky? Lifeguarding is dangerous, sure, and faster responses are good, but just dropping rings on people in danger doesn't seem like it's going to help all that much. Maybe one day robots can do this sort of work, but right now humans are still the best, I'd think.

    --
    picpix image polls. create - share - vote. fun!
  8. Re:Drones for avalanche rescues? by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 4, Interesting

    An IR camera spotting a warm object in the snow?

  9. Also planned ... by TrollstonButterbeans · · Score: 1

    Drone to fly falling people a parachute,
    drone to fly "man on fire" a bucket of water
    and thirsty guy in desert a beverage.

    --
    Priest: "Universe from nothing, no laws of physics, sped up time"+ huge discrepancies. Creationism? No. Big Bang Theory
  10. starring Perry King & Joe Penny by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Sounds like the bastard child of Roboz and the Screaming Mimi.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  11. It's been tried by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In various incarnations. Getting the flotation devices, while of value, is of limited value.

    Panic, unconsciousness, weak swimmers, low visibility - the number of things that kill this idea is enormous.

    I worked surf rescue for 7 years and have seen these ideas come and go.

    1. Re:It's been tried by Firethorn · · Score: 1

      I worked surf rescue for 7 years and have seen these ideas come and go.

      Did you ever get the cannon launcher for flotation devices? I thought that was a hilarious idea.

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
    2. Re:It's been tried by barc0001 · · Score: 1

      I think this is meant as a support tech, not a replacement for lifeguards. Something to potentially buy the person time if they're able to use it while the lifeguard works their way there. In that role it might be useful. Still won't help the unconscious, but weak and panic swimmers could still benefit by something dropped within arm's reach. I'm guessing most of the ideas you saw come and go were far less accurate, like an apparatus that flung a ring out from the beach and the ring would hopefully land somewhere near-ish to the person and they could maybe swim to it, kinda? This can drop the device right into their panicking hands which is quite a difference.

  12. Re:This fad not done yet? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

    Now it happens that drones are ideal for general carpet bombing...

  13. You appear to be in distress by HangingChad · · Score: 1

    You appear to be drowning. Would you like a life ring?

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  14. A dangerous game will be made of this in 3... 2... by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

    Riptide? Who cares when a drone can cover me? Surf THAT wave? Sure! There's a drone to keep me from drowning. i wonder how far I can swim out before I get too tired to swim?

    Humanity's utter stupidity in seeking the very newest thrill almost guarantees two new sports and many new deaths from this. But that's what makes us human.

    --
    If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  15. Don't worry bottom feeders by morgauxo · · Score: 1

    Don't worry corpse eating bottom-feeding fish...

    uncle FAA will kill this!

  16. Better with GPS? by pr0t0 · · Score: 1

    While not addressing all concerns, I wonder if it would be more effective to automate it through the use of a swimmer-worn panic button. I envision a situation where the swimmer hits the button, and the Ryptide copter flies to the swimmer automatically. Not sure if GPS is accurate enough for that though. A life-ring dropped four feet away from a swimmer in panic is probably useless.

    --
    I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
    1. Re:Better with GPS? by ItsJustAPseudonym · · Score: 1

      A ring dropped ON a swimmer might be bad, too.

    2. Re:Better with GPS? by Firethorn · · Score: 1

      I wonder if it would be more effective to automate it through the use of a swimmer-worn panic button.

      At the point you're having the swimmer wear a 'panic button', you might as well have them wear an inflatable vest to begin with, perhaps built into the body suit. Just have some sort of system that can tell the difference between 'I'm deliberately swimming under water' and 'I'm drowning!!!', which is probably a good trick to manage for a relatively lightweight and inexpensive system. It detects drowning(or the guy pulls the panic cord) and inflates.

      One thing about life vests to remember is that they only have to lift the head, and the rest of the body tends to be neutrally buoyant. So 'one size fits all' is mostly true.

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
  17. evils of agile development by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

    As we saw with Firefox and Windows 8 is that change for the sake of change is bad. Especially in a corporate environment.

    You all do know the professional slow releases of Windows will go EOL every 2 to 3 years right? Be prepaired to do nothing but upgrade all day at large corps so hipsters can have their latest and greatest

    --
    http://saveie6.com/
  18. Re:Is there going to be a patent... by ItsJustAPseudonym · · Score: 1

    http://youtu.be/OTqssZVc-c8 By Spishak, Inc.

  19. Also not to be confused with... by CaptainLard · · Score: 1

    Defikopter, not to be confused with Defacopter. Something you probably don't want falling out of the sky on you when having a heart attack...or any other time for that matter.

  20. Re:This fad not done yet? by Moof123 · · Score: 1

    Simple. Imagine the scenario.

    1) You see someone in distress.
    2) You grab your smartphone and wade through the plethora of apps you almost never use to find the iLifeRingDrone app.
    3) Wait through a mandatory ad to load, since the service needs to fund itself, and ad supported is the only business model going these days.
    4) In your panicked state you try to figure out how to tell the service where the poor victim is at, and how to discern from the dozens of other beach goers frolicking about.
    5) Drone takes off, assuming it has not died from being stored for a couple years under salt spray conditions (yes, any system has to work for YEARS without annually replacing them).
    6) Drone uses your crappy smartphone instructions to try and go to the correct coordinates and drop a ring.

    My guess is the swimmer would be dead by step 4.

    Far more lives would be saved putting the money for such a system into almost any health related application. Low tech life guards at popular beaches and good warning signs at known dangerous spots would do much better at saving lives for the same cost.

  21. Awesome idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    From the limited water rescue training I've had, I've always understood the biggest risk to the rescuer is the panic of the individual being rescued. I recall instructors literally telling me it is almost better to wait for the victim to fall unconscious, THEN, drag them back to shore because of the risk they pose in the panicked state they are in (i.e. grabbing, clawing and pulling you under).

    There was a local lifeguard who died last year from this very issue, not to mention a young woman that died a few years ago in a lifeguard training accident.

    This has massive potential to save lives AND prevent further disaster. I imagine it is also substantially faster than launching a rescue boat. Worst-case the cost will be a relatively inexpensive drone?

    Good for this company! Brilliant idea! Every lifeguard station on every beach should have one!

  22. Hey! I need a girlfriend! by fredrated · · Score: 1

    Could someone please drone one to me?

  23. Nobody has mentioned the horrible name... by werepants · · Score: 1

    Is it just me, or does Defikopter sound like something that flies around and shits on people?

  24. Peak drone hype... by matbury · · Score: 1

    Does this article indicate that we've reached peak drone hype yet? Gun hype has: Kitchen gun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  25. What else can it drop? by kimgkimg · · Score: 1

    Is there going to be a militarized version which drops other things?

  26. Project St. Bernard by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... drops brandy to skiers stuck in snow drifts (or long lift lines).

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  27. "Defikopter?" by snizzitch · · Score: 1

    Is anyone else getting a laugh out of this?