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Avalanche Safety Jacket to Help Extend Survival Time 17

Worried about suffocating after being hit by an avalanche? Thanks to the AvaJacket safety system you won't have to worry anymore. The Avajacket features airbags that restrain the head from being twisted into potentially dangerous positions, and an air-cleaning breathing system. I look forward to the release of the Moltencoat early next year. Finally, I'll be able to explore a volcano with peace of mind.

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Avalanche Safety Jacket to Help Extend Survival Time

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  • by RockDoctor ( 15477 ) on Monday July 20, 2009 @04:12AM (#28753801) Journal

    OK, it looks a bit funny-peculiar, and the advert has obviously been translated into English (?) by a famous Taiwanese firm of technical translators (who only employ native speakers of Qetchua and !Kung for their Chinese-English translations). But other than that, what's funny? Lifejacket technology (well, I recognise it as a lifejacket) for inflating the airbag has been re-shaped to protect head and neck from impact and bending forces. I'm a bit dubious about the efficacy of the breathing tube arrangement, but I'm also pretty dubious about the efficacy of the "Airpocket" [sharkgroup.co.uk] which I have to wear travelling to and from my work. I'm more dubious about this being successfully deployed (or maintained) by amateur skiers who only slide around on planks for a week or so per year.
    Then again, I'd suspect that it's not aimed at amateur plankers, but at professional skiers - both those who shepherd the amateur plankers and those who have to ski to get to their work locations for a significant part of the year. Rescue workers would also be an obvious target market - no small number of people searching for avalanche victims have been hit by further avalanches from the same feeder slopes.
    Nope, sorry, I don't see anything funny about this. Should I make the traditional rude comparisons between SlashDot's "editors" and a pair of fetid dingo's kidneys?

    • Oh, and this being an avalanche-related topic, perhaps I should have remembered to claim "frost pist(e)"?

    • The mouthpiece idea has been around for a while in the form of the Avalung http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/ski/avalung/avalung-ii [blackdiamo...ipment.com].

      The idea is sound, but I think putting it into action would be a bit dicey.
      a) Getting it into your mouth before being swept away/while being swept away.
      b) Keeping it in your mouth while being swept away.

      Avalanches tend to thrash you around a bit, and they also tend to be a bit stronger than you. Probably if you got a good bite on it before things really got carri

      • As an after thought, I'm not sure how I feel about the compressed air canister. It would probably have to be metal or hard plastic. [...] it was NOT a comfortable thing to land on! If the above video, the canister is shown to be in a very similar rib-smashing position.

        If it's not designed from the start using lifejacket equipment, it'll end up being manufactured using lifejacket parts if it ever gets beyond the prototype stage. It's an economy-of-scale thing - there are a lot of lifejackets made (and servic

    • There was this guy in New Zealand a couple of days ago. Once buried by the Avalanche he cleared space around his mouth by sticking his tongue out. Air will diffuse through snow so the surface are of the cavity around your head makes a lot of difference. Something which gives you more space around your head could be a lifesaver.
  • Didn't I see that in a James Bond film a few years ago?
  • Seriously who translated this?

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