Call it a drone, remote control lifesaver, unmanned sea vehicle, or whatever, the U Safe from Portugal-based Noras Performance may just end the days of wet-bodied beach lifeguards. U Safe is a remotely control lifesaver (or life preserver, if you will) that lets lifeguard gets to and save a person in trouble in the sea without putting him/herself at risks. It is much like the AEF Electric Bodyboard we saw last month, but with a life-saving purpose as its only focus.
U Safe is essentially a lifesaver and deploys the same, i.e. thrown out into the sea. Except that it isn’t donut shape and also, it packs a bunch of tech, including onboard electric propulsion. Like a traditional lifesaver, it works in any position it landed on the water which is a major plus point because, you don’t want to be figuring out which side up to throw in an emergency, do you? The onboard electronics, including built-in navigation and guidance, along with the electric drive are robust enough to maneuver through unforgiving waves while maintaining its direction.
It is lightweight too, tipping the scales at just 8 kilograms (a little under 18 lbs), making easy to hurl far out into the water and it has a maximum flotation weight of up to 200 kilograms (440 lbs). U Safe’s onboard battery is good for 40 minutes and it can go as far out as 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) while travelling at up to 15 knots (equivalent to about 17 mph or 28 km/h).
It is a cool invention that could save the life of many without putting rescuers at risks. The question is, how much does one costs? We have no idea with regard to the price. Though it is worthy to note that U Safe isn’t the world’s first; EMILY was the first to do so in 2017 and it is still being use to save lives today. Here, have a look at the promo video below to see it in action.
Images: Noras Performance.
Source: Technabob.
