While maritime safety protocol on private and passenger vessels has only improved over time, there is always the risk of an unforeseen accident that could result in an accident at sea. Ahti X1 Lifejacket is a smart floating device created by Nordic industrial and concept designer Mats Lönngren to improve sea rescue missions.
The purpose of the lifejacket is to tackle the key factors related to man-overboard (MOB) cases. To improve offshore safety, Lönngren designed a lifejacket system that can help prevent accidents, provide an accurate location of victims and enable safer recovery of the victim from the water.
Ahti X1 works with a mobile app to help locate and track a man lost at sea. The lightweight lifejacket has been engineered to inflate as soon as it comes in contact with water. Once inflated, the time and the victim’s location are automatically sent to Ahti X1 app users and nearby ships equipped with the widely-used automatic tracking system AIS. On the app, the tracking programme displays how long the victim has been at sea, his or her distance to the vessel, as well as the water temperature, wind speed and cruise path of the vessel.
To further optimise the performance of the inflatable device, gripping points are included to help hoist the victim out of the water. If the lifejacket’s battery life is low or there is a malfunction, an alert is sent out to other users. The app also provides training and learning materials so that a user can practise safety procedures designed to prevent MOB situations. Once the victim is located, the app indicates the best steering path to safely approach the swimmer.
