The future of water safety is here. The O-Drone is a grand step forward in the addressing of water safety – especially those in grave danger with harsh conditions. The O-Drone is what you guessed from the name, a remotely controlled raft designed to keep those in danger afloat – with the addition of not only reaching the person in need but being able to retrieve them from the dangerous environment.
Jung Myeongha & Huh Woojong’s smart design can be seen in two positions – inflated and deflated. When the O-Drone is inactive, it is lightly inflated, this allows the O-Drone to float in the water, without being too buoyant and preventing too much resistance against the device as it moves through the water. Once the O-Drone reaches the user, the body is inflated further to ensure buoyancy with the additional body weight.
The colors used for the O-Drone are similar to that of modern-day buoyancy devices, which plays strongly amongst the semantics of safety equipment today. Inside the device, there is a shallow storage unit which may contain first aid equipment or additional inflatables for the person in distress. On the base of the O-Drone, there are two small turbines which direct the device towards the victim of the harsh water conditions.
The O-Drone is a Winner of the K-Design Award for the year 2017.
Designers: Jung Myeongha & Huh Woojong
