Could this be the cruising industry’s saving grace?
Cruising is a massive holiday go-to, with an estimate of 25 million passengers expected to go on one in 2019.
However, despite the joy this may create for cruise lines – they face more risks and dangers.
Technology may just be coming to the rescue however, with researchers and cruise lines working hard to test a new wireless system, LYNCEUS.
This software may have the ability to keep track of every passenger boarding a cruise.
Antonis Kalis, Head of Research and Development at SignalGeneriX, told Futuris cruise lines would have the ability to integrate a tracking device in a key card or bracelet.
“Various cruise companies already provide electronic tools for their passengers so that they can make purchases or access their cabins.”
The bracelet would also have the ability to find every passenger in a crisis situation through a wireless network covering the whole ship.
For the sake of privacy however, developers maintain the function would be a resource used only in “real emergencies.”
Chief executive of OptionsNet IT Services, Yiannis Panaretou, said the system would provide a valuable resource to locate missing people on cruise ships.
“The ship safety officer can see where the crew and passengers are located, and there’s a way to focus on a single missing person — you can use a search panel to find exactly where that person is.”
What makes this new technology even better is that it will be able to trace passengers who go missing at sea by integrating the device into life jackets.
Rescuers would have access to additional handheld antennas or have drones or helicopters that would have the ability to send signals that smart life jackets would be able to automatically pick up.
This cutting edge technology is already being tested by major cruise lines, and are expected to be rolled out for commercial use in the near future.