Personal Locator Beacon Wins Top Design Award

The Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator took top honors at the 2022 DAME Design Awards, while Aceleron Essential, a cobalt-free lithium-iron phosphate battery with replaceable and upgradeable parts, won the first DAME Environmental Design Award.

Announced each year at Metstrade (Marine Equipment Trade Show) in Amsterdam, the DAME Awards showcase critical aspects of marine equipment design including aesthetics and functionality, integration and packaging, and price efficiency and lifecycle management.

Jury chair Andre Hoek last week presented The DAME Design Award 2022 to Ocean Signal for its RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator. Six products took category wins, and 13 entries received special mentions.

“As time passes, the boundaries of products that we examine in the DAME jury room get even wider,” Hoek said in a statement. “This year, we assessed everything from a tiny boat and outboard tracker to a 65-ton travel hoist. Whatever its size, price, or complexity, though, the jury remains very focused on examining the design of products in all aspects including function, form, environment, innovation, and price to performance. All 48 nominees are to be congratulated on meeting the scrutiny of this process.”

Regarding the RescueME PLB3 AIS, Hoek said, “Our overall DAME Design Award winner is an excellent example of how you can never stop pushing to make new improvements, even in a segment of the marketplace where products are already impressively advanced in what they achieve for the size and price.”

The highlight of the PLB3 is its combination of an AIS man-overboard device and GPS with a Cospas-Sarsat personal locator beacon, Galileo Return Link Service, and the incorporation of visible and infrared signal lights. The combined technologies provide the best chance for survival in an emergency. The jury pointed out the extra detail of a Near Field Communication app that lets a user test the unit with a mobile phone.

The first DAME Environmental Design Award went to the Aceleron Essential, a cobalt-free lithium-iron-phosphate battery with replaceable and upgradeable parts. A faulty cell no longer requires the replacement of the whole battery, and returned parts are redistributed or remanufactured for second-life use.

“Notable iterative design steps towards a sustainable future are those we hope to highlight with this discretionary award,” Hoek said. “For that reason, we commend Aceleron’s efforts with modern battery technologies to break an unwelcome norm for whole products to be disposed of when just one component is broken.”

The full list of DAME category winners includes:

Marine Electronics and Marine Related Software
YachtSense Link 4G Marine Router by Raymarine

Marina Equipment, Boatyard Equipment and Boat Construction Tools and Materials MarineShift360 Lifecycle Assessment Tool by Marineshift360

Deck Equipment, Sails and Rigging
Arya by Amare

Clothing and Crew Accessories
Aquafleece Robe by Rooster Sailing

Lifesaving and Safety Equipment
Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon by Ocean Signal

Machinery, Propulsion, Mechanical and Electrical Systems and Fittings
Integrel… The Next Generation [generator replacement] by Integrel Solutions

Environmental Design Award Winner
Essential [LiFePO4 battery] by Aceleron

Special Mentions:

Marine Electronics and Marine Related Software
IC-M510E (with AIS receiver) by Icom MAX Mini by Sailmon

Marina Equipment, Boatyard Equipment and Boat Construction Tools and Materials Aqua superPower marina fast-charging system by Aqua superPower

Deck Equipment, Sails and Rigging
FXe 4500 Electric Code Sail furler by Facnor
Karver Sharing Center by Karver Systems
Karver Jammer Staysail Kit by Karver Systems
Rollable Boat Hook by Seaview Progress

Clothing and Crew Accessories
X-Over Eco Cork by Forward WIP

Lifesaving and Safety Equipment
GlobalFix V5 AIS EPIRB by ACR Electronics Regatta Safelock by Regatta and Aalesund Protective Wear FURIO by SECUMAR

Machinery, Propulsion, Mechanical and Electrical Systems and Fittings
Seakeeper Ride by Seakeeper ZF POD 4600 by ZF Group

You can read the full DAME Jury report here www.metstrade.com/awards/dame-winner

A version of this story originally appeared in Trade Only Today

November 2022