New
Video Shows New Underwater Search for Teen In Pactola Reservoir
Swimming Video Camera Explores
Shadows, Areas Divers Can't Reach, to Help Close Search for Josh
Haugen
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Exton, PA, July 31, 2000 - VideoRay Inc. announced
today that a new video is available free to professionals and volunteers
who are involved with search and rescue missions. The video details
the use of VideoRay ROV (remotely operated vehicle) on a search
mission for 17-year old Josh Haugen this year. On June 4, 1999,
Josh fell off a watercraft in Pactola Reservoir near Rapid City
South Dakota and has never been found. VideoRay was used by local
authorities as a new search and rescue tool that is an alternative
to sending divers in the water and risking lives in treacherous
conditions.
During the all-day searches in April this year,
three VideoRays were run from land and boat to cover 800 square
meters of lake floor, which is littered with 20-foot trees and jagged
rocks. Covering the area in overlapping grids, VideoRay worked in
tandem with a scanning sonar to comb shadows and rock beds. As the
sonar found targets, VideoRay was sent in to explore. See maps of
the area and more details on the mission to find Josh Haugen at
www.videoray.com
The free video interviews search and rescue professionals
on the scene and shows how the search was conducted. Visit www.videoray.com
to request the free VideoRay for Search and Rescue video online,
or call 610-458-3000.
More About VideoRay
VideoRay weighs only eight pounds and is very compact, which
allows it to swim in areas that divers have difficulty accessing.
The underwater unit is attached to 250 feet of tether, which was
plenty of cable to explore the 80 to 100-foot deep waters of Pactola
Reservoir. Unlike divers, VideoRay can be submerged underwater for
an unlimited amount of time. VideoRay can handle extremely cold
water temperatures in salt and fresh water. Its video eyes send
live video through the tether to a monitor on the boat or on the
shore. VideoRay lets crews pre-dive areas before divers enter the
water. Through VideoRay's eyes, divers can see and avoid hazards
they might otherwise not anticipate.
VideoRay is controlled like a video game, with
a simple joystick and a few controls for its lights, depth, and
thrust. Because it requires little training, rescue staff can learn
to use it quickly. The average adult can understand basic operation
in 5 minutes. For greater control, four hours of learning time is
recommended. VideoRay also offers training materials and certification.
Priced at $11,495 US dollars, VideoRay is considerably
less than other commercial ROVs and comparable in cost to the price
of an underwater camera with lenses and underwater video equipment
with lights. Just 14 inches long, 9 inches wide, and 8.5 inches
high, VideoRay is contained in two rugged, waterproof Pelican cases
that are easily carried by hand.
For information on VideoRay, Inc., contact:
VideoRay LLC
400 Eagleview Boulevard
Exton, PA 19341 USA
PH: 610-458-3000
FAX: 610-458-3010
Info@videoray.com
www.videoray.com
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