Finding passengers lost at sea
8 Jan 2009 12:17:24 UTC
Topic 194127
(moderation:
Lately i've heard the tragic stories of two cruise ship passengers lost at sea when they fell overboard.
I was wondering why cruise ship passengers and crew are not outfitted with RFID bracelets so they could be located more quickly should they fall overboard.
Am i missing something?...Or has no one thought of this simple solution to a really scary and difficult problem?
Finding passengers lost at sea
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The range might be a limiting factor approx 450 ft in free space (with present technology) range would be limited through bulkheads). This could be over come with strategically placed RFID Skimmers throughout the boat The only way I think it could work if all passengers are monitored all the time by software. When a RFID tag is not detected it would issue alarm.
A study (proof of concept) would have to be done to determine false indications like for instance when somebody is using the shower or pool..
Good Idea Dan..
There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot. - Aldo Leopold
Well, there are multiple
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Well, there are multiple issues with this, e.g. privacy.
[sarcasm on]
What would you tell the passengers?? Like this: "Please wear this bracelet all the time because we want to track where you go on this ship (actually we make bets who will end up in which cabin, we call it PAX Bingo, very funny). And you know, maybe you get drunk and fall overboard, or your spouse wants to divorce in an inexpensive fashion, and then we want to know where to pick you up again. Not that we could actually save you (you know how long it takes for a cruise ship to make a U turn, even if you survived hitting the water in the first place ?????), but hey, at least your relatives will get something back"....
Noooo....I think this will have an acceptance and marketing problem.
[sarcasm off]
CU
Bikeman
It depends on how the
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It depends on how the software is developed( and promoted) on whether its capable of tracking a certain individual all the time. You could develop a system that would alarm only when skimmer fails to detect an RFID tag within a certain time limit. But like any system there is potential for abuse. There are a lot of ethical issues that need to be hammered out about the use of RFID technology. Take CCTV for instance (They are still working on it)
If an individual fell overboard at least you know what happened and be on top of it and not in port wondering where your passengers are. As a company it is better to be proactive and not reactive in time of crisis.
Big boats don't make U turns you launch auxiliary craft.
As this being practical I don't know... but its wonderful way showing the potential of RFID technology and it potential.
There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot. - Aldo Leopold
This is interesting... I
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This is interesting...
I remember a very important wrist watch mark (which I will not mention)created a device which operates like a ---->E.L.T.: when, and only when you are under extreme emergency conditions, you pull or switch on the button of the watch, the same way you would turn the wheel/knob in order to readjust the time, and the alarm strikes for some hours until the Search & Rescue guys pick you up.
Same rules apply as in trains/wagons when you pull the emergency break: you are the one and only responsible for that act.
In case you were joking, you can expect a fine related to the efforts spent on your search and rescue task.
I think it should be made available for those who want and can afford to pay some extra charge, for insurance purposes, for example, in order to get such a device or service.
And if you like it, you can buy it!
Remember Steve Fosset?!?!
R.I.P.
Good news from New York: The
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Good news from New York:
The Airbus crash into the Hudson River finished with no casualties, yesterday afternoon (local time), just after take off from La Guardia airport, N.Y.
The pilot saw at once there was not enough time, altitude and power to make it to the alternate airport. Great job. No doubt.
All the people involved are now at home reading the newspapers and watching TV!
I wish the reaction of the search and rescue teams in Barajas International airport in Madrid, Spain, last summer was so efficient and fast.
The Manzanares River is/was much smaller and too far away in that case!
RE: Big boats don't make U
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That is correct...an aircraft carrier takes 7 miles to make a u-turn safely!
RE: Good news from New
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Actually today on the news they are saying that the air traffic controllers told the pilot he could NOT land at either of the 2 closest airports, so he had no choice but to ditch in the river. I am sure heads will roll for that decision, luckily no one was seriously hurt. A few broken bones seems to have been the most serious. The plane was 6 minutes into the flight so he had some altitude and space to do something.
This has happened before, why don't they put screens on passenger jets engine intakes? I can where that would reduce airflow but we are not talking military jets, we are talking passenger jets. There should be plenty of extra airflow for them. I am just thinking of something basically designed to shunt the birds away, kind of like a cone in front of the air intake. The new jets have much bigger engines then they actually need so they don't have to use full power in noise sensitive areas. They should have plenty of reserve to cope with a screen.
RE: This has happened
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Jet engines are designed to withstand a strike from a bird weighing up to 12 pounds. Putting screens on jet engine intakes that would shred anything larger has been proposed, but I think you would have icing issues.. The real solution is to stop building airports along migratory paths and around wetlands and making airports bird unfriendly ...
There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot. - Aldo Leopold
RE: RE: This has
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After I posted my screen idea I did read about what the engines do now, they actually are designed to shred the birds into tiny pieces and let them pass right thru the engine. I am guessing the plane in NY got hit by a bunch of birds all at once. I did find where some companies are making engine shrouds that pass air right thru and anything else exits thru a chute and out of the engine. They do it by making the air take a u-turn to get into the engine and anything heavier gets flushed out by not being able to make that turn.