Help for the lost: a cloth antenna to maintain you from being a castaway

Doesn’t appear like much, does it? However the next time you’re lost at sea , you simply may be thankful you have it. That little square of material is basically a versatile antenna designed for the Cospas-Sarsat distress signal network, a Cold War -era system built to assist pinpoint missing ships, planes and folks. Designed to be sewn right into a life vest, the antenna broadcasts an emergency beacon at a low frequency for greater range; in field tests, that helped rescuers find it within minutes. It is also tear- and water-resistant, which you’ll be able to be thankful for when you are being tossed around like a ragdoll in a sea of whitecaps. The technology was developed by the European Space Agency in partnership with a Finnish company. Next on their agenda? A round, floating companion for the marooned, codenamed Wilson.