SPARS®: unique technologies

Personal parashuting rescue system for lowering person from high rise objects in emergency

The private Russian innovative Space Rescue System Ltd. company (www.cosmic-rs.com) express its interest in finding partners for joint mutually beneficial realization of the SPARS® project — the Autonomous Rescue Pneumo Chute Back-Pack System, a validated forefront escape solution for secure rescue of untrained person from nearly any high elevation structure (skyscrapers, offshore platforms etc.) in case of emergency when traditional evacuation methods are impossible.

Since 2008 project development has been conducted from a concept to the level of trial bench of validated and fully operational real scale demonstrators of technology. As a result new class of individual escape inflatable chute with landing shock damper was created in two versions: 1st — for trained personnel — with Conical Shield Pneumo-Transformable Air-drag system (PARAKON®); 2nd — for ordinary people — with Ring Canopy-Shield Screen Pneumo-Transformable Air-Drag system (SPARS®).

Both a variants represent a brand new inflatable air-frame chute technology and do not have analogues in the world. The SPARS® meets the special Russian National Standards (GOSTs) requirements. It’s intellectual property has been protected – 3 Trademarks (™) and Patents on Invention in the Russian Federation (7); United States (2); China; Japan (2); Singapore (2); Canada; S. Korea; Australia; the Ukraine; Malaysia; Indonesia.

By now actual private investments in full-scale R&D of the SPARS® project, trial production of prototype products and complex protection of intellectual property rights totaled 7.2 million USD.

The SRS Ltd. has the following SPARS® assets available:

the SPARS® Technical Data Sheet (TU 801130-547075064-01-10);
the SPARS® Gas-Filing System Technical Data Sheet (TU 8042-017-45307693-2013);
the full set of Working Design Documentation with drawings in paper and e-formats;
the List of the technology “know-hows”;
the SPARS® Manufacturing Process Specification;
the trial bench of fully operational SPARS® products (technology demonstrators) on the stock;
Certificates of conformity from the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations (EMERCOM).

Now in order to industrialize brand new technology the SRS Ltd. is looking for a Strategic (Global or Regional) Industrial Partner, Contracting Party or Share Investor Party (Counterparty) to upgrade jointly the product up to commercial level, run its production and set up global sales.

Concerning accurate assessment of the terms, timeframes and investments required for SPARS® industrialization it is foreseen that a Counterparty from the region where product itself (or its production) could be demanded (Europe, China, US, Asia-Pacific etc.) could formulate and provide SRS Ltd. with the regional authority technical requirements to upgrade the SPARS® product specifications and also could determine the necessary level of licensing.

At the same time in order to reduce production costs it is desirable to find and select a local manufacturer in the same region taking into account its technical capabilities and possibility to use appropriate production process technologies.

The Counterparty sought should have expertise in specific areas as:

thin coated/laminated fabric manufacturing;
assembly of the inflatable thin fabric laminated structures;
parachute canopy manufacturing;
air-aspirator gas filling system manufacturing;
plastics (carbon) manufacturing and forming;
human field (air-borne) tests.

The Counterparty sought may be expected to undertake part of those activities or provide financing for already existing outsourcing manufacturing solution in Russia.

Upon receiving the above mentioned information the SRS Ltd. could finalize the design documentation, to fabricate a prototype with specifications meeting local needs and to determine expected investments and timeframes necessary to prepare and to run mass production of the product in the region.

The following forms of cooperation with the Counterparty sought as Joint Venture, Technical, Manufacturing or License Agreements are feasible. Shares Conditions in the business organization is a matter of further negotiations. SRS Ltd. would be ready to demonstrate its good willing approach and to meet a Counterpart in negotiations halfway with necessary flexibility in some critical questions aiming to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation.

The technology offered has a global nature. Made by our request by the German EMPORIS GMBH company the Review of High Elevation Buildings Global Commercial Market shows that there are no means on the market for secure escape form heights starting from 50 m and higher. Clients all over the world living or working in high elevation buildings have practically no means of escape in case of urgent emergency. According to sad statistics about 3-5% of those people simply try to jump from the windows and perish. But according to fire statistics every skyscraper experienced a fire once in every 47 years.

So now with 7300 skyscrapers (higher than 100 m) operational and more that 2600 under construction) and with more than 100000 high-elevation buildings (higher than 12 floors) and more that 800 offshore platforms the commercial market capacity for the Autonomous Pneumo Transformable Escape Chute is estimated about $3.5 billion.

The Governments market is significantly bigger but it requires for wide implementation of that new technology some amendments into its local appropriate norms and regulations.

The SPARS® Project devoted to creation of a unique inflatable technology (devices and methods) for rescuing untrained people from high-rise facilities, for example, upper floors of high-elevation buildings. The pneumatic transformable SPARS® device and emergency escape method can be used for individual rescuing a person from a high-rise facility, for example, a multistory building, at fire or other emergency situation, when evacuation using traditional methods is impossible.

The SPARS® meets General requirements for an emergency escape apparatus from high-elevation facilities (RF STD Р 22.9.08-2005 Safety in Emergency Situations):
1. Need for Alternative (not a Primary One) Means of Escape (a Last Resort Mean);
2. Urgent Evacuation of Person from High Elevation Buildings (50÷1000 м);
3. Protection of Human from Dangerous External Environment during Descend;
4. Safe Landing of Untrained Human on Surface;
5. Individual Rescue System Should be Autonomous;
6. General Assembly Mass of the Rescue System Should not Exceed 30 kg;
7. Rescue System Operation by Untrained Personnel with weights 45÷120 kg ;
8. Ready-for-Use time max. 45÷60 s.

SRS Ltd. fulfilled scale R&D activities in cooperation with 18 Russian and foreign firms in order to develop new state-of-art SPARS® rescue technology for untrained person meeting tuff EMERCOM Human’s Landing Impact Toleration Requirements. Validation tests were made using anthropomorphous measuring station based on Hybrid-III test dummy. SPARS® Technical reliability – 98,7%.

The SPARS® complete Intellectually Property Rights and «know-how» protection was made with PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) procedures is under way in 13 countries all over the world. 8 Russian’s, 8 International Patens and 3 Trade Marks were received.

In 2011-14 two Russian EMERCOM certificates were received for the SPARS® use as an emergency escape device in civil high elevation facilities.

General market estimations made by EMPORIS GmBH under request of SRS Ltd. shows that there are over 7303 Skyscrapers Worldwide with the heights of from 100 m till 828 meters and more than 50000 from 50 till 100 meters heights. Taking that analysis into account the SPARS® Project may have potential market capacity up to €600-700 million per year.

Now the SPARS® Project is in the phase of finding strategic investor for starting production. All the technical and technology documentation the SPARS® Project and ready-to-go set of sub-contractors are available at the Space Rescue Systems Ltd.