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Rescue-o-matic

 auto-lifting pool bottom net.
  (+23)(+23)(+23)
(+23) 		  [vote for,
against]

You know the dilemma; you want to rescue the party's drowning victim, but the water is so darn cold, and you're not such a good swimmer with that mis-sized rented tux. Never fear! The rescue-o-matic is here. Push a button, and a built-in, pool-sized net at the bottom lifts whatever is in it's way to safety. Disconnect a few of the sides, it doubles as an extra-large hammock.
—RayfordSteele, Jan 25 2002

Transponder bracelet http://www.halfbake...nsponder_20bracelet
This reminded me of another idea I'd had... [supercat, Jan 26 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

[link]






       Boffo idea.
—phoenix, Jan 25 2002
   

       This is a pretty good idea. If the net were semi-rigid, and extended all the way to the sides, you could bring it up partway when you have children in the pool who can't swim well.

My fondness for inflatables requires me to make a request that the thing have rapid-deploy inflatable flotation devices installed.
—quarterbaker, Jan 25 2002
   

       I wonder if there's any way something like this could be triggered by a person (or animal?) falling into the pool when nobody else is around? Sensing a body that stays too long on the pool floor is probably going to be too late. And voice/sound recognition would put a damper on kids terrorizing each other in the pool.
—beauxeault, Jan 25 2002
   

       In graduate school I did some experiments on tracking fish respirations. A fish in an aquarium creates a detectable disturbance each time it flaps its gills to respire. The strip chart needle would jump very much in tune with the movement of the gills. Unfortunately, I don't remember the basic principles involved, whether it was a change in electrical resistannce or simply mechanical action. At any rate, why not identify a characteristic 'drowning person' movement and apply A.I. to monitor for it.
—entremanure, Jan 26 2002
   

       [quarterbaker] I didn't think those were the kind of inflatables you were into. 8^)
—phoenix, Jan 26 2002
   

       Good on you Peter! I also agree with Peters last para - idea needs to be refined further. No matter how goddamn cold that water is - get in there pronto.
—thumbwax, Jan 27 2002
   

       A grid rather than a net might work, and would likely be easier to lift than a net. <Net would sag in the middle, staying deeper in the water.>
—StarChaser, Jan 27 2002
   

       [SC]: And the grid would pose less tangle issues and especially if the grid was recessed into the bottom of the pool so that the surface remains relatively smooth.
—bristolz, Jan 27 2002
   

       Make the mesh fine enough and tight enough around the edges and you won't have the tangle problem.   

       Cleaning might be a problem, though. Even with the grid idea. Can't imagine what's going to find its way into those spaces.   

       As far as beauxeault's idea of an automatic trigger, perhaps a simple laser-plane security device would do the trick. Add it to the home security system. Course you'd have somehow protect from it being activated by falling branches and stuff.
—RayfordSteele, Feb 13 2002
   

       The trouble with rapid-deploy inflatables is the shockwave they'd make underwater. I guess maybe if it were slow enough... I even thought about rapid-inflatable swimsuits, but the sudden pressure would probably be a bad thing and hard to control. Not to mention the dreaded 'floating butt, face-down' look.   

       As far as Peter's comments, maybe somewhere there could be a 'this pool is equipped with a safety net' sign posted underneath the 'no life-guard on duty' sign. For those of us who stop and read the signs on the walls when there's a drowning emergency... ;-)
—RayfordSteele, Feb 13 2002
   

       Excellent.
I would like to have the option of using it as a trampooline-apult, unexpectedly launching all swimmers about four or five feet in the air. (Deep end only of course)		   

       (re: finding a way to trigger it) Let's use nature's concept of the spider web. Assuming this is only installed at the deep end, we can further assume nobody's going to normally touch it. Install a sensor on one strand that feels for movement, and if 30 seconds of constant movement occurs it's triggered. The only problem I can see with this is every 10 minutes another kid will be holding his/her breath to go under and trigger the net.   

       Which brings up another issue - how do you make sure nobody's under the net when it retracts?
—Worldgineer, Jul 23 2003
   

       Perhaps the net has a skirt, permanently affixed to the top edges of the pool, so that when lifted, it resembles an upside-down playpen.   

       I don't think you'd want hair-trigger reaction; just a current would be enough to disturb it.
—RayfordSteele, Jul 23 2003
   

       Great idea... and when you have your guests over in their formal wear, you can just leave the mesh/grid at the water's surface to show that the pool is closed. Maybe mark each intersection with a small LED to make sure the grid is visible at night?
—kdmurray, Nov 27 2006
   

       Good idea [+]   

       There should always be someone in the pool dressed up as a fish or bicycle though.
—skinflaps, Sep 27 2007
   

       Rather than an unsightly net at the surface of your pool, how about a clear plastic membrane? It would look like water, but drunk guests would simply lay on the surface like it was a waterbed.
—Galbinus_Caeli, Sep 27 2007
   

       Cling-film your pool.
—wagster, Sep 27 2007
   

       What you need is a sealed off area at one end of the pool with a shark in it. The shark would be attached to a I'm-gaggin-for-it-ometer which would be triggered when the shark senses that a swimmer is in distress.   

       Otherwise, simply crossbreed pufferfish, catfish and piranha for fish that will team to a distressed swimmer, sucker on and inflate.
—marklar, Sep 27 2007
   

       Heh. I like that one.
—Worldgineer, Sep 28 2007
   

       Now that's clever [marklar]
—phundug, Sep 28 2007
   

       [2 Frys Shy] YES!! So great, I'd buy one and not tell anyone. Yes!   

       Great idea. Although really, I'm sure your tux-rent store will understand if you ruin it while SAVING A KID FROM DROWNING, I mean, come on... Still, [+].   

       Some of these ideas seriously need patented!! Do it!
—TahuNuva, Jan 08 2008
   

       Hate to burst your balloon, but inflating pufferfish do not float. Wish they did, but they'd then probably die.   

       Rescue using my original system would probably be slower than jumping in, unfortunately. Plus you'd add the slow process of the rescuer trying to scramble his way across a netted material to resuscitate the victim.
—RayfordSteele, Jan 10 2008
   

       [RayfordSteele] Yes, that's the only reason it wouldn't work.
—marklar, Feb 07 2009
   
      
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