DEVELOPMENT OF SMART LIFE VEST

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Time is critical when rescuing drowning people. Locating them accurately is essential. A smart life vest has been developed to notify of locations during emergencies.

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Rescue workers search for the missing crew of a fishing boat that capsized in waters off Geoje in January 2021. Over ten days 1,200 rescue workers were deployed, but two of the missing crew members have never been found. A drill to rescue drowning people is underway. As soon as an alarm goes off on the boat, the location of a drowning person is transmitted immediately.

[Soundbite] "Received a distress signal and checked the location."

When the life vest touches the water and inflates, a device installed inside it detects it and automatically transmits location data. The person's location can be detected using only a smartphone. No transponders are required. This disaster location system was developed jointly by a Korean conglomerate and a venture firm. It's currently being operated on training ships for prospective sailors.

[Soundbite] Yoon Hong-ah(Korean Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology) : "Fishing training is conducted often on the decks of training boats. They are prone to accidents including fatal ones caused by missteps during training."

The device costs less to maintain compared to foreign-made equipment that uses satellites and LTE networks.

[Soundbite] Shi Hye-kyung(KT) : "We will do our best to release this service after improving its quality and enhancing the accuracy of disaster rescue signals."

Some 2,700 maritime accidents occurred in South Korea last year 120 people died or went missing.