The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), along with the US Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), launched the US Coast Guard Ready for Rescue Challenge. This is a $255,000 prize competition that aims to come up with boater safety solutions that will help make it easier to find people in the water.
When a person is separated from their boat, they can be left stranded in open waters. A life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD) keeps a person afloat while they seek safety. However, a person in the water is a small, moving target, and even in a successful rescue mission, locating the person can take hours.
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This call for concepts is the first phase of a three-phase prize competition. Phase I concepts could include a new or updated life jacket or PFD, an attachment to a life jacket or PFD, or an additional device for boaters. The best concepts will be effective, affordable, and hold the potential for wide adoption by recreational boaters.
Those interested in participating in the Challenge should submit their concept by 4:59 p.m., ET, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. The judges will evaluate the submissions and will choose up to five monetary prize winners and up to five non-monetary honorable mention award winners. A total of $25,000 will be distributed evenly among each of the Phase I monetary prize winners.
In Phase II, selected participants from Phase I will take part in a “Piranha Pool” to pitch their solution and compete for a total prize pool of $120,000. This prize will assist each monetary prize winner in developing their concept into a working prototype.
In Phase III, USCG will field test prototypes alongside standard Coast Guard approved safety equipment. At the conclusion of Phase III, the judging panel may award a total $110,000 in additional monetary prizes.
See more information in US Coast Guard’s Ready for Rescue Challenge.
