Robotic Drowning Rescue System

Abstract

A system remotely monitors a potential drowning victim and remotely and passively detects one or more drowning indicia. Upon detecting one or more drowning indicia, the system acquires location coordinates of the victim and activates a self-propelled robotic submersible, which travels to the victim's location and uses one or more sensors to position itself directly below the victim in the body of water. When the sensors have confirmed the position of the submersible directly below the victim, the submersible initiates the rescue operation by lifting or floating the victim above the surface of the water. The submersible then transports the victim to an area where he / she can be resuscitated and receive medical attention.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the field of devices and methods for detecting and responding to situations in which individuals are or may be drowning in a body of water. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method by which drowning prevention measures are passively deployed—that is, deployed without any action or involvement on the part of either the potential drowning victim or a bystander.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about ten people die from accidental drowning every day. Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States. Even when drowning incidents are non-fatal, more than half of drowning victims require hospitalization or further care. Non-fatal drowning injuries often include brain damage with associated long-term disabilities, such as memory problems, learning impairments, and / or permanent loss of mo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0031]In situations in which the present system is monitoring a body of water in which there are multiple persons, the system can use biometric data to distinguish different individuals and separately track them. In this way, even if a potential drowning victim is surrounded by other swimmers, the system can pick him / her out of the crowd and detect drowning indicia on an individualized basis.

Problems solved by technology

Non-fatal drowning injuries often include brain damage with associated long-term disabilities, such as memory problems, learning impairments, and / or permanent loss of motor functions.

In circumstances where a solitary drowning victim has become non-responsive or panic-stricken, these “active” methods of drowning detection will prove ineffective.

Furthermore, the “passive” drowning detection methods known in the art erroneously target frantic subsurface motions as supposed indicia of drowning.

Since the victim's energy and attention is totally absorbed in gasping for air each time his / her mouth bobs up above the water, he / she is often unable to call out, wave for help or even reach for a lifeline.

While rapid drainage methods can be effectively implemented in relatively small bodies of water, such as shallow wading pools for small children, they are not suited for larger water bodies.

Since these systems lack a means of localizing the rescue float / net below the drowning victim, the inflatable component must encompass the entire pool surface, as well as lifting other objects and / or persons in the pool, resulting in an inflation / deployment time interval likely to exceed the critical window for effective rescue before the victim stops breathing.

Also, at the finish of the supposed “rescue” by these systems, the victim is left, with his / her lungs full of water and in respiratory distress, lying helpless on a huge mattress too bulky to be dragged out of the water by a single bystander.

Moreover, with one exception, none of the patented “whole pool” inflatable rescue systems are passively deployable, because each requires activation by the victim, a bystander or by a wristband worn by the victim.

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