Avalanche Search & Rescue (v2)

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

Like my previous https://grabcad.com/library/avalanche-search-and-rescue-1 entry, this design also aids in the search and rescue of avalanche victims. Instead of a "gravity powered" ball valve mechanism, this version uses a Motor (ORANGE) and Impeller Blade (RED) to spread the colored dye (BLUE) when a Transceiver (YELLOW) signal is detected. Here, the dye is fed from the Reservoir (GREY) to an Annular Channel (GREEN) with holes that evenly distribute the dye over the spinning Impeller Blade to create a uniform circular pattern in the snow. When the Impeller is not spinning, dye will still continue to drip to help mark the search path.

If marking the search path is not practical (small reservoir, limited amount of dye, etc), a Solenoid Valve (not shown) can be added to control flow.

Adding a valve to control flow also opens up other uses, including the application of fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides in a more controlled manner than using a full-sized airplane and more conveniently than using a manual hand sprayer. For these applications the accessory could be much smaller because there is no need to carry a transceiver.

Lastly, a fleet of drones could spray water to keep people cool at outdoor concerts.

The 3D-printed casing (GREEN) for this design includes several features that would be difficult and expensive to duplicate as two injection molded halves bonded or ultrasonically welded together:
1. Pulls in multiple directions
2. Liquid tight fluid pathway

I did not want to redesign a part just for the sake of making it 3D-printable only, so the Impeller (RED) can be injection molded and the Reservoir (GREY) is a generic bottle used for illustration purposes.