PowderBee
What do you think of the idea?
- Top! Super concept.86%
- Flop! Nobody's dragging that with them.14%
The competition has ended.
ISPO 2019: The PowderBee rescue drone
16.2.2019
Translation: machine translated
It can take a long time for help to arrive from the air in the event of an avalanche. Unless you have the "PowderBee" with you. A visit to the stand of the search optimisers from "Bluebird Mountain", which won an award at ISPO 2019.
Am I still at the sports fair? When I encounter people with wings at the ISPO in Munich, I briefly think I'm in heaven. On closer inspection, I realise that they are bees busily promoting their product. "PowderBee", the rescue drone. A flying avalanche transceiver that helps in the search for avalanche victims. A drone that can do more than take beautiful aerial photos and annoy other people? Interesting.
The mix of bees, flowers and inventors draws me to the stand of "Bluebird Mountain", the ISPO "Brandnew" Winner in the Accessories category. This award goes to start-ups that produce innovative products with market relevance.
In order for the little PowderBee not to be overlooked among all the shiny lifestyle products, it needs a bit of show around it. At the stand itself, Markus, who is responsible for product development in the four-man founding team, explains the concept to me matter-of-factly. "Do you know what this is?" I am asked to start with and am shown an avalanche transceiver from Pieps. Yes, so far the principle is clear. In search mode, an avalanche transceiver can locate buried victims who are wearing a transmitting device on their body. Basic equipment for anyone travelling off paved pistes in the snow.
How does the PowderBee help?
It saves you a rough search for buried victims. The drone is aligned in the direction of the avalanche cone and launched using the only available button. It then follows the search pattern and lands near the victim. The fine search with probe and shovel can then begin. As time is not just money in an emergency, but the difference between life and death, the idea is beyond doubt. Actually.
Cool! But...
As good as I think the concept is, I do have a few reservations. Is anyone really carrying it? Will PowderBee work in any terrain, in wind and weather, can it cope with the cold?
The makers of Bluebird Mountain have been working on it for a long time and the prototype presented in Munich already has all the functions they expect from the series product. An avalanche beacon module that is compatible with all devices. An altitude sensor that works in all conditions. A weight of 600 grams, a robust and compact design. Everything ready for an emergency, everything wind and weatherproof, as I am assured.
The ISPO Brandnew application video (you can see it below) still comes across as likeably startuppy, but the product of the passionate winter sports enthusiasts from the less alpine Hamburg convinced the jury. You too?
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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