Licensing Opportunity: FRED (Forensic Reconnaissance in the Environment of Drowning) Search Manikin
Published 22 December 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/easy-access-ip-drowning-search-aid-device/licensing-opportunity-fred-forensic-reconnaissance-in-the-environment-of-drowning-search-manikin
FRED is a device (manikin) that can be used for simulating a drowning scenario, and in particular to aid in the locating of missing persons in waterways.
Drowning is believed to account for a similar number of deaths annually in England and Wales as house fires, between about 200 and 300.
Although work and research has been undertaken over the years to understand and simulate drowning scenarios, in different types of environments, more work is still needed to fully understand what may happen in the different scenarios, and especially to understand the movement of a drowned cadaver over subsequent hours and days after drowning to aid discovery. FRED is a solution to help better understand what may happen in different scenarios.
Key benefits
The FRED search manikin is a unique design comprising several novel features with the aim of creating a tool to help search for missing persons in waterways.
The manikin is designed to follow the drift path of a missing person which would lead to a potential search location, which could save time and resources in any search.
Features embedded within the manikin include:
- inertial measurement unit
- acoustic positioning system
- GPS
- inflation system
- abdominal bloat simulant
The inventor has in particular discovered that the detergent CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) can act as a phase transfer catalyst for optical brighteners to allow them to move from an aqueous phase into an immiscible inorganic phase, which can be used as the means to concentrate optical brighteners from a volume of water. This chance discovery provides a very simple means to purify and greatly concentrate optical brighteners from environmental water sources.
Applications
FRED has been designed as an academic research tool as well as a deployable system to model the movement a cadaver takes through a waterway.
The manikin is pre-filled to a set density which reflects that of a human and is weighted with great accuracy and is designed to sink as an unconscious human would.
Intellectual property (IP) status
A GB (1910108.8; 15 July 2019) and PCT( PCT/ GB2019/000100; 18 July 2019) patent application are pending.
Commercial opportunity
The potential commercial exploitation of the FRED search manikin has 2 possible channels upon its further development and completion into a production item:
- academic research into the drift characteristics of a cadaver in waterways
- use as a tool to search for missing persons
How to license this technology
Find out how to access Dstl-owned intellectual property available under the Easy Access IP scheme.
For more information contact dstleasyip@dstl.gov.uk