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news 10 MTR September 2010 SeaBotix, in cooperation with Tritech International and Marine Simulation, has developed the a specially designed, rapid response underwater rescue system. Until now remote operated technology has been used to recover drowning victims, not rescue. Improved medical studies have shown that a person experiencing near drowning in water up to 21ºC has the potential for rescue. If the victim can be rescued from the water within approximately 90 minutes there is a good chance that the residual oxygen in their body will keep them alive without perma- nent damage to their vital organs. The problem has been locating and rescu- ing the victim in difficult conditions without furthering human risk. SeaBotix Inc. was approached by Derbyshire Fire & Rescue in the U.K. to develop a solution to the more than 700 drownings per year. The UK Fire & Rescue has the ability to be on location in response to an emergency in under 10 min- utes, however, they are unable to work below the water. SeaBotix worked with the Derbyshire Fire & Rescue to develop a new ROV rescue sys- tem that would operate in near zero visibili- ty, in poor weather and strong currents, while being simple enough to operate by res- cue personnel. The result is a modified LBV system with high definition Tritech Gemini 720i imaging sonar, limb grasping manipula- tor, video enhancement and a small diame- ter, low drag tether with a 100kg working load. In addition, the advanced SARbotM rescue system includes a new high resolution StarFish 990F side scan sonar from Tritech International and a purpose built LBV train- ing simulator by Marine Simulation. The total package offers rescue teams with large-area search capability and built-in training in a rapid-response rescue ROV. SARbot For Rapid Subsea Rescue Operations WHOI Breaks Ground Equipped with an $8.1m federal Recovery Act grant and a shovel, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) cele- brated the ground- breaking of its new Laboratory for Ocean Sensors and Observing Systems (LOSOS) on, August 4, at the Clark Laboratory on the Institution's Quissett Campus. "The Laboratory for Ocean Sensors and Observing Systems will provide essential space for several ongoing large projects, enabling new approaches to ocean observations well into the 21st century," said Dr. Susan Avery, presi- dent and director of WHOI. The funding comes from NIST. MREC Comes to Boston The 2nd Annual New England Marine Renewable Energy Center Technical Conference is scheduled to take place on Tuesday Nov. 2, 2010 at the Microsoft NERD Ctr., located at 1 Memorial Dr. in Cambridge. The 3rd Annual MREC Stakeholder Conference has joined with the 6th Conference on Clean Energy, which takes place at the Hynes Convention center in Boston on November 3-4, 2010. www.mrec.umassd.edu
