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Nicholas Praticante

Nicholas Praticante

2020

Nicholas was born in Ontario, and has a strong passion for travelling, filmography and photography. He loves cars and watches and looks forward to starting a collection one day. In his free time, he is usually playing video games or going out for a relaxing drive. The past four years have been packed with learning experiences. Starting with traveling to Japan in first year and ending with the connections made through this thesis assignment. Plans after the program include finding work either locally or internationally and settling down to work remotely.

Nicholas

Meet Nicholas, The designer of RAY.

RAY: Retrieval Assistance for Overboard Incidents

The goal of this thesis project was to achieve a design system that enables commercial fishermen the ability to perform their jobs safer and more efficiently. Through the standpoint of user interaction, convenience of use and functionality. Commercial fishermen have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Injuries and fatalities caused in the workplace are a result of many factors like; lack of experience, visibility, inclement weather and most proficiently, drowning. Current lack and neglect of personal protection equipment have exhibited challenges with comfortability, accessibility, sustainability, and ergonomic factors related to the line of work. The design process will incorporate the use of research methods like surveys, video observation, interviews and conversations with the target user base.

Detailed analysis of the evaluation process is aimed to minimize the negative experiences and maximize the positive experiences of ingress and egress related to personal protection equipment. Focusing on ergonomics and comfortability to allow a user the ability to perform the tasks required from a commercial fisherman while wearing the required personal flotation equipment to keep them safe. A one-to-one scale ergonomic buck is planned to be built to evaluate the ergonomics and human factors in the context of the personal protection equipment to establish a full-bodied human interaction design solution. Results from the specific studies will be used to design the next generation of personal protection equipment to be used by commercial fishermen. The product could eventually be installed on small fishing vessels all around the world; allowing the product the chance to revolutionize the way we think about water safety.

RAY banner

animation

Thesis Summary Video Award Submission

RAY: Summary Video

RAY CAD Animation demo

CAD Animation

This video is a demonstration of the computer-aided design modeled for the RAY thesis project.

RAY Model demo

Physical Model

This video is a demonstration of the physical model created for the RAY thesis project.

Meeting the Four Thesis Pillars for Design Excellence

Enhancement of Human Lifestyle

Rescues victims who fall overboard, especially for one-manned small commercial fishing vessels. Close-range sonar can locate a user in low visibility and steep waves.

Securing themselves to the retrieval device will improve their odds of surviving and gives the user a sense of security being able to hold onto something that won't sink.

Vest allows for maximum flexibility while providing ultimate support and security to the user.

It allows for a more accessible option to climb into the boat through the telescopic ladder.

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Human-Interaction Design

The vest allows for an adjustable lower strap that fits to an appropriate size for the user.

Interaction with the lower body through the telescopic ladder and making sure each rung is wide enough and spaced apart enough to allow for a comfortable climb.

Arms and fingers interact with the flotation vest to comfortably pull the ripcord in an emergency. The user can then interact with the retrieval device by laying their arms over the cushioning for a comfortable trip back to the boat.

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Human Factors and Ergonomics

The main components of RAY are fully recyclable. Aluminum and polypropylene make up the majority of material.

Cushioning on the retrieval device, straps and webbing for the vest are made from polyester derived from recycled PET products.

The air packets are able to deflate and then pack back into the vest allowing it to be used a number of times. The C02 cartridge and battery are also recyclable, limiting the amount of waste created.

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Sustainability

Ray moves away from environmentally damaging materials and uses materials popularly used by the marine industry to effectively prolong product life.

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