Underwater
Robot Finds Two Bodies in Three Days, in Wisconsin and Scotland
8-Pound VideoRay Speeds Up Search
Process; Makes Recoveries Safer and More Predictable
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| Robin McCauley of the St. Louis County
Sheriff's Department Rescue Squad operates the VideoRay which
located Ms. Gelazius. (Photo by Tom Crossmon, St. Louis County
Sheriff's Department.) Click for high res version. |
Exton, PA, August 13, 2004 -- On opposite sides of the globe,
VideoRay underwater robots located the bodies of two drowning victims
over the course of three days. In Hayward, Wisconsin, USA, a 46-year
old woman was located from a bog after just two hours of searching
with the VideoRay remotely operated vehicle (ROV). In Highland
Loch, Scotland, the VideoRay located the body of an 18-year old
boy in a day after efforts over the previous three days had failed.
“What we’re seeing with the VideoRay is that it speeds
up the search process and makes recoveries safer and more predictable,” says
Scott Bentley, president of VideoRay, the manufacturer of the 8-pound,
video-equipped submersible. “We see that as a winning proposition
for both the family of the victim and the divers who often put
their lives on the line to make a recovery.”
In Wisconsin, authorities on Friday, August 6, 2004, recovered
the body of Karen Peltz Gelazius, 46, of Chicago, missing since
she dived into Kavanaugh Bay of the Chippewa Flowage near a bog
to retrieve a fishing pole, according to reports from the Sawyer
County Sheriff’s Office. The body was located Thursday when
a Minnesota search and rescue team used a VideoRay robotic underwater
camera to spot the body about 60 feet under the bog, which covers
about 5 acres. Robin McCauley of the St. Louis County Sheriff's
Office Rescue Squad operated the VideoRay that located Ms. Gelazius.
“By utilizing the VideoRay, we were able to find the drowning
victim in some of the most adverse conditions I have ever seen,” says
St. Louis County Undersheriff David Phillips. “The floating
bog was the size of a city block and drifted 100 yards from the
victim’s last known location. The VideoRay affirmed that
the victim was still under the floating bog. The Sawyer County
Dive Team was then able to work on recovery efforts.”
In Scotland, Dwane Wardrop, 18, from Kinlochbervie, Sutherland,
was thrown into the waters of Loch Innis in the early hours of
the morning Saturday, August 7, 2004, after his dinghy capsized.
The 8-pound VideoRay Scout – an underwater robot that costs
less than $6,000 USD – took over for a 24-pound ROV from
the US that had failed after several days of trying to locate the
teenager. Chris Myers of EUTEC (European Underwater Technology
Centre), went to the site the evening of Monday, August 10, 2004,
mobilized the VideoRay Scout on Tuesday afternoon, and recovered
the body by 4pm that day. The VideoRay Scout is the entry level
VideoRay, which Myers had only recently purchased to teach new
pilots the basics of ROV use.
"Our VideoRay system was ideal for the task due to the limited
work space available and the rapid response needed by our client,” says
Chris Myers, managing director at EUTEC, who noted that the search
was made challenging by poor visibility, low light, and bottom
sediment. “The reliability of the ROV system and the abilities
of our two system operators led to the successful conclusion of
this task and allowed the police to recover the body of the deceased.”
“Loch Innis is in a very remote part of NW Scotland, and
only an ROV system that could be packed in the trunk of a car could
have been mobilised to this area at such short notice,” says
Hugh MacKay, of Buccaneer Ltd., a company that works with EUTEC
for technical support of VideoRay micro-ROVs. “This shows
that good search techniques and the VideoRay operating methodology
get results.”
For comments, contact: David Phillips, Undersheriff St. Louis
County Sheriff's Office, Duluth, MN, PH: 218-726-2339, e-mail:
phillipsd@co.st-louis.mn.us. Chris Meyers, EUTEC, chrism@underwater-technology.com;
ph: +44 (1224) 636083 or mobile +44 (7793) 579697.
For pictures and videos online, visit http://www.videoray.com/Press_Room/press_release.htm
Contact VideoRay LLC • 400 Eagleview Blvd. • Exton,
PA 19341 USA • Phone: (610) 458-3000 • FAX: (610) 458-3010 • www.videoray.com
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