ANSA 08/06/2025

ANSA - Saint Textile project stars at Expo 2025 Osaka

Initiative to improve rescue ops showcased at Italy Pavilion

Aproject to aid rescue operations at sea through 'smart textiles' has been showcased at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.
    "Saving human lives is among the most important objectives and tasks of the Air Force and of the Ministry of Defence", said Colonel Fabrizio Beccarini, the head of the certification office of the Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness (DAAA), speaking on the sidelines of the event 'Saving lives with smart textiles, Saint Textile' at the Italy Pavilion.
    And saving lives is an objective pursued by Saint Textile, a project to develop 'smart textiles' to improve visibility in poor light, in particular for rescue operations at sea.
    Specifically, a patch that can be applied to the part of a life vest that remains above the water was showcased at the Italy Pavilion.
    The object can be used in the event of a shipwreck with low or no visibility, to facilitate search and rescue operations, including those carried out by untrained civilian personnel, as part of search and rescue (SAR) flight missions.
    "Expo's theme this year was actually focused on this - on how to support activities to save human lives", stressed Colonel Beccarini.
    "Thanks to the support of La Sapienza University (in Rome), we have been able to set up a small project thanks to which we have built something that can help the search for those reported missing at sea, especially at night, in particular when the water is cold and it is necessary to find the missing as soon as possible", he added.
    During the event, a search and rescue scenario with low visibility was simulated and guests were shown how the patch could be activated on a life vest, improving visibility in the event of a shipwreck through an infrared thermal camera, connected to a big screen, as well as with night vision goggles used by SAR mission crew members.

 


   

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