Alpride/CEA Leti
Airbag backpack with calling system developed in the GateOne project
Mountain rescue becomes particularly difficult when the victim does not have a fucntioning phone with him/her or when there is no network to reach the emergency services.
To solve this problem, the Swiss SME Alp’ride has developed a system called SECURELOC. Based on PMR radio frequencies (those used in Walkie Talkies), it allows to send GPS coordinates to a distance of 10km without the need of a network.
With the help of the Digital Innovation Hub CEA Leti and the EU project GateOne, this company has successfully integrated their SECURELOC technology in an innovative avalanche aribag. The skier/mountaineer simply wears a backpack that, in case of avalanche, inflates an airbag to keep the person on top of the snow slide. Whenever the airbag is inflated, GPS coordinates are sent both on the GSM network whenever it is available and through PMR waves for a longer reach and extended operation time in case of no network.
Impact
- Competitive advantage for the Swiss SME Alp’ride in order to differentiate its offer in the mountain supply sector
- More safety for skiers and mountaeers that otherwise would face dangerous situations
To learn more about this success story, visit GateOne's website and check the following video.