Executive Summary:

Located in State College, PA, Catastrophe Safety Research Ltd. is a company that prides itself on developing new technologies that will aid search and rescue workers worldwide.  Through experience and innovation CSR Ltd. will revolutionize the effectiveness and efficiency of search and rescue efforts.

Approximately the size of a baseball, the Search and Rescue Module will be thrown into disaster areas to aid rescue workers in detecting survivors.  The module uses three infrared sensors and one microphone to detect survivors.  The scope of this project is for CSR Ltd. to design and develop a casing to protect the Module’s electronics and make them easily deployable.

The Search and Rescue Module effectively incorporates all design specifications and objectives with CSR Ltd. meeting project milestones and delivering a final Module prototype on-time.  Furthermore, the Search and Rescue Module was developed and produced within the allotted budget of $600.

The Module’s manufacturing process has been streamlined for easy and cost-effective construction.  The economic analysis shows that there is a clear market opportunity for the Module.  Besides search and rescue teams, other Module customers include state law enforcement agencies and fire departments.

Nicole Lawrence  nxl139@psu.edu                                                                                                                                                                     Joseph Lyall  jtl140@psu.edu
Michael Thomas  mat223@psu.edu
Christopher Wilhelmi  cxw344@psu.edu

Date: Fall 2002
Faculty Consultant: Dr. John Lamancusa - Mechanical Engineering Department
Sponsor: ARL - Applied Research Lab, The Pennsylvania State University
Contact: Thomas Gabrielson
Applied Research Laboratory
Email: tbg3@psu.edu