An eight-member European team led by Norwegian scientists and industrial companies from eight countries are working on developing what’s now being called Safe@Sea intelligent clothing, a new type of fishermen’s clothing with built-in, life-saving electronics.

This three-year, 4 million Euro dollar project (approximately. US$5,225,000) would create clothing that would improve the chances of survival for fishermen who are thrown into the sea. The project began last year and will continue through to the end of 2012.

Among the needs expressed by fishermen for this kind of clothing is a proposed built-in, wireless ‘dead man’s handle’. When the wearer falls overboard, this would detect that and automatically kill the boat’s engine, activating a locator beacon. The clothing should also act as a flotation device when immersed in water, and it needs to be impervious to fish blood or other stains, a highly practical feature for wearing on fishing boats.

It’s strongly hoped that this product doesn’t wind up as a mere prototype but actually can succeed as a viable, life-saving product.