Pocket-sized Surface Flotation Device for Cold-Water Aviation Survival

The average temperature of oceans around the world is 51 degrees Fahrenheit and, at that temperature, hypothermia will kill a person in approximately one hour. This makes it critical for over-water aviation mishap survivors to remove themselves from the water as quickly as possible. Immediate access to a life raft by the survivor is vital. However, Naval Safety Center data for a thirteen-year period shows that only 11% of survivors had been able to deploy their life rafts. Furthermore, our interviews with Navy helicopter pilots, aircrew and trainees, consistently revealed that currently used surface flotation devices are not wearable, are cumbersome, are very difficult to deploy and are extremely hard to board. Our lightweight, wearable, pocket-sized raft (Patent Pending) is easily deployed and has a novel boarding system to lift the survivor out of the water. Float testing of our existing prototypes has determined the viability of our designs. Through this Phase I effort, we propose additional feasibility testing and further refinement of our pocket-sized raft design, inflation systems and innovative boarding method.