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What's The Problem?

Search and rescue diving is an inherently dangerous field. Whenever someone or something has possibly fallen into water or through ice and is possibly drowning, the divers need to carry out multiple search patterns in order to locate them, even if the target is no longer in the water. This makes it a long, arduous process for the diver, and, in the case of drownings, the longer the dive takes to reach and rescue the target, the lower the rate of survival becomes.

What Dangers Do The Divers Face?

When carrying out search patterns, divers face many dangerous, even life-threatening situations. Low- visibility caused by silt or murky water is a common obstacle, making it difficult to see, nonetheless locate anything underwater. Physical obstructions, such as overhangs, weeds, and other structural dangers can get in the divers way, lengthening the dive time, or entangle the diver, putting them in danger of drowning. With such a short time frame in many rescue situations, obstructions can become problematic for both the diver and the victim. Ice diving situations become even more complicated, as hypothermia becomes a factor. When diving under the ice, a dive line is used to help the diver find his/her way back to the entry point; however, if this dive line is lost or broken in during a search pattern, then the diver is stranded beneath the ice. There is no margin for error, but at the same time, the divers must take precautions to enable their own safety.

What’s The Solution?

In order to increase the safety and speed of these dives, our remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) will enter the water to carry out the preliminary search patterns. This will eliminate the need to endanger another diver and speed up the search using technology to overcome the typical obstacles. The robot will stir up less silt than a human diver and will utilize alternative sight methods (such as sonar) to deal with low visibility situations. Once the robot has reached the target, an arm-like apparatus can be manipulated to latch on. The human diver can then follow the ROV’s tether to the target, making the search process much faster and safer for all parties involved.

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