SmartPFD: Towards an actively controlled inflatable life jacket to reduce death at sea

M. Fürth, K. Raleigh, T. Duong, D. Zanotto

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)/Life vests can considerably prolong life expectancy of a person that has gone overboard, yet they are not often worn by recreational users. Inflatable PFD are popular because of their slimmer profile that enhances user movement and comfortability, however, current models on the market are not without limitations. The SmartPFD has been developed to tackle problems associated with involuntary activation and to study the effect of multiple air pockets. The proposed PFD inflates when a pressure level has been maintained for a certain time; this will stop vests from inflating accidently. The vest has two separate air pockets that can deploy sequentially or simultaneously. The users’ orientation and acceleration are measured using an embedded Inertia Measurement Unit to track the ability of the PFD to turn a person floating face down upright. The designed PFD has been experimentally tested and initial results show good promise.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMarine Design XIII
EditorsPentti Kujala, Liangliang Lu
Pages737-746
Number of pages10
StatePublished - 2018
Event13th International Marine Design Conference, IMDC 2018 - Espoo, Finland
Duration: 10 Jun 201814 Jun 2018

Publication series

NameMarine Design XIII
Volume2

Conference

Conference13th International Marine Design Conference, IMDC 2018
Country/TerritoryFinland
CityEspoo
Period10/06/1814/06/18

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'SmartPFD: Towards an actively controlled inflatable life jacket to reduce death at sea'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this