Remote control lifebuoy

On beaches, tides and rough seas can drag people swimming out to sea very fast. At that time, the lifeguards could not swim immediately to save but the launch of a rescue boat was very time-consuming.

Image for illustrative purposes. (Internet source)

To solve this situation, engineers in the United States designed a cheap Emily lifeboat and easily rescued victims. This type of buoy weighs about 11 kg, launches only 30 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of 39 km / h, with radio frequency control within 1.6 km, integrated scanning system to detect people The victim has sunk into the water.

Emily works with a lifeboat-like engine and can turn itself over if struck by a wave. When buoys are in contact with people in distress, the shore operator can communicate with them through a camera and a two-way radio system, which in turn can control the victim's arrival safely and quickly.

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* Glow from inside the body

Biologists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (San Diego, USA) are studying Clusterwink sea snails, which can luminescent from inside the body to avoid enemies (photos).

This snail is small, often seen in snails clinging to rocky beach. Unlike terrestrial snails that secrete luminescent mucus, Clusterwink snails are bioluminescent based on a chemical reaction inside their bodies. When any creature touches, they emit a green flashing light.

In particular, even when shrinking, their shells still have the ability to amplify the light, which greatly increases the light source and radiates in all directions on the shell. Therefore, they can communicate safely with each other even when snuggled into the hard shell. This unique glowing mechanism not only creates illusions to scare away enemies but also alarms larger predators to capture the enemy.

The team is looking to take advantage of this special light amplification structure into the production of materials with better optical performance.