Developing an Unmanned-Water Rescue Boat (U-WRB) Using Oil Palm Fibre Composites for Human Rescue Operations
Inventor
Due to the fact that the number of drowning cases in Malaysia had been increasing over the years coupled with the global pandemic attack on COVID-19, there is an urgency to address this issue quickly using reliable sources which is low in cost and environmentally friendly. In addition to this, there is lack of unmanned rescue devices subjected to drowning victims particularly in Malaysia. Most of the rescue cases are performed by a lifeguard which is dangerous due to the uncertainty of the water current and the unknown debris content in the water. Having said that, the current work is an attempt to explore the possibility of using oil palm fibres as reinforcement elements with polymer matrix to produce a low-cost composite material for developing an Unmanned-Water Rescue Boat (U-WRB). The developed U-WRB will be subjected to different state-of-the-art attachments such as emergency light, walkie-talkies, oxygen tank and a buoy. Self-righting features will be incorporated to the U-WRB mainly to prevent the boat from overturning or sinking when it is subjected to rough waves. A customized GPS module will be built and attached to the boat namely to track the motion of the boat in real time using a smart phone. The whole customized U-WRB will be operated by means of a digital remote control by a certified trained lifeguard. This work was funded by Fisabilillah Research and Development Grant Scheme (FRDGS) year 2021 through Tabung Amanah Zakat Multimedia University. In lieu of that, the boat will be given the name of Khadijahs Rescue namely to honor the prophets wife which took great care of him through the ups and downs of his lifetime.
