​Researchers succeed in localizing automatic inflator for life jackets

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 13, 2019, 16:31 Updated : May 13, 2019, 16:31

[Courtesy of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology]


SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have succeeded in localizing an automatic inflator for life jackets by using specially coated cellulose materials that melt quickly at the moment of contact with the water. 

While life jackets can be inflated manually, there are automatic inflators called "bobbins" using carbon dioxide cylinders. British and Swedish automatic inflators have widely been used because of their good quality and performance.

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) said in a statement Monday that its research team has developed a new automatic inflator using powered microcrystalline cellulose that melts in about five seconds when it comes in contact with water to trigger the automatic inflation of a life jacket.

"As it is designed to inflate rapidly when it touches the water, it is fully competitive in the global market," KRICT researcher Ahn Hong-chan was quoted as saying. He said a person's life can be saved by one second in a crucial situation. KRICT's product can inflate in four to five seconds, faster than existing ones.

 
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