A group of students from the University of Danang - University of Science and Technology (UD-DUT) had successfully designed a "smart" jacket that helps the wearer float on the water surface and has a locator for search and rescue.

UD-DUT’s team

After finding out that a lot of fishermen were afraid of wearing life jackets due to its bulky character, UD-DUT’s students had an initiative to make a "smart" jacket. The goal was to make a "smart" jacket like a regular windbreaker, but with the function of waterproof, windproof, warm keeping, which can be turned into a life jacket if necessary.

From January 2019, the first version was born. The sCoat was designed which had the same structure as a regular jacket, but the neck and arms were fitted with floats. These floats were fixed to a cold CO2 compressed air system inside the jacket.

A Scoat product

When turning the jacket into a life jacket, just open the valve, the compressed air tank inside the jacket will automatically fill the floats. When the life jacket is full of air, the wearer closes the cap of the compressed air tank. The compressed air tank can supply the float for 72 - hour continuous operation. The jacket weighs approximately 1 kg and is made of a simple waterproof material. Currently, UD-DUT team had only completed two products, with a manufacturing cost of 700,000 VND.

The first version was an orange "smart" jacket, with a U-shaped inner float, connecting the neck to the arms. When it was first put into the trial, fishermen responded that it was not comfortable to do daily activities. Its appearance was not beautiful, and the price was high.

The inconveniences of the first version were improved. The second version had the separated floats in neckline and arms. The details of the jacket were better designed with "smarter" operation, but still needed to be perfected to meet the life jacket standards (according to Vietnamese national standard 7282-2008, lifebuoy needs to be equipped with more whistles, lights...).

The Smart jacket won the first prize of the “Innovative Technology Entrepreneurship the University of Danang 2021” (InTE_UD 2021)

The team continues designing the reflective panels on the arms and back of the jacket as well as tool bags (whistles, lights, knives, navigation devices...) to help users survive in unusual situations. The team also designed an sSim navigation system like an aircraft black box. sSim would record the entire journey of the wearer, location, coordinates ... to send notification to the rescue center or pre-registered phone number. "sSim is like a phone sim, attached to a jacket. If the GPS navigation system can only determine the position of the ship, sSim will locate the person wearing the shirt, making search and rescue easier," said student Tran Le Vi Nhan Tam. UD-DUT’s team hoped that this jacket would be also a necessary product for tourists, transport, and participating in sea activities

In addition to fishermen going to the sea, the research team hopes that this will be a necessary product for tourism, transportation, and marine activities.

Student Tran Le Vi Nhan Tam (left), member of UD-DUT team and fisherman who participated in this trial