ORCA saves sailors' lives
posted October 1st 2004 3:31AM
No, not the vicious killer whale from that 70s
movie. Going overboard? No problem. See, you're sporting the Orca (Overboard Recovery Communications Apparatus),
a new device worn by deck personnel in the military that alerts the ship if, and when, you take a little involuntary
swim. The ORCA provides a unique ID for each individual, and it triggers pre-set messages to the bridge at the
time of the big dive. It is also capable of triggering several beacons at once (in case a few deck hands go down
for whatever reason) and pinpoints each one using GPS. It lets nearby helicopters know what your name is, and to what
ship you belong. And for those thinking more hellacious scenarious, the device even forces the host ship to redirect
itself, helping to avoid any close encounters with the ship's propellers. Now, if we could just get these things for
kindergarten kids, we should be all set.
Thats one damn smart electronic psedo-whale if it can tell when you actually purposefully jump off the deck.