Flood Rescue Vehicle

When I received news about the recent floods in Malaysia, I decided that there was only one thing to do: build a Flood Rescue Vehicle. 

The design itself was quite simple. There were stories about boats not being able to cross into shallow waters; trucks and cars were similarly swamped by floodwaters. There was only one vehicle that could cross both; the Salamander. 

A Salamander is actually an amphibious vehicle with tracks mounted on a boat body. Here, I used wheels for speed (also didn't have enough tracks) and size. 

There are two sections; the search and rescue section; and the flood victim section. Read on to find out more!

Gadgets on the front section are listed as follows:

Front: 

1. The white cone is a distance microphone to detect small noises and calls for help; can save those who are too tired to scream. 

2. Two banks of sensors are located on each side to detect debris and other things. 

Middle:

1. A big speaker (grey) to give warnings, messages, and assurances. 

Back:

1. A revolving tower with two kinds of lights to find and rescue flood victims in the dark. 

The back section, otherwise known as the flood victim section, consists of:

Rightmost:

1. The elevator system (more explanations following)

Middle:

1. An electric fire to prevent chills or hypothermia. 

2. Benches for flood victims to sit (maximum capacity 4) 

Leftmost:

Top: Bottles of freshwater, sealed and airtight to prevent any kind of contamination

Middle: Storage for valuable items, or currently a medical kit

Bottom: Food is in the circular boxes, whereas the square box holds thermal blankets if the fire heat is not enough. 

The vehicle body is hinged to get around corners.  

There are stories of people stuck on the second floor/roof having to jump down into the boat, possibly destabilizing it. Furthermore, old or weak people cannot make this journey and are forced to stay behind. My design includes an elevator function to solve this problem. 

A video showing the elevator in motion. A relatively simple design featuring a rubber-band pulley with a guide rail to ensure maximum stability solves any climbing problems. 

Engines on the side of the boat; they combine jets with propellers for maximum propulsion/horsepower.

Multiple sensors on the bottom of the Salamander, they provide data on ground instability, incoming debris, waves, and other important things. 

I hope this design is able to save many people who are in danger out there. 

Thank you for reading my blog.