You’re at sea, the night is dark, and suddenly your boat starts taking on water. No problem (well, yes, actually big problem but…), just put on your survival suit and launch the “LEDballoon” (cool name eh?)

It’s a small kit, perhaps the size of a can of soda, that contains a long-life lithium battery, a self-inflating balloon (activated when the can is opened – filled with helium), and a very thin, and strong, wire that would unreel 100 feet to allow the balloon to float skyward, and supply it with power. The can would have a fastener that could be clipped to a life jacket.

The balloon itself would be covered in enough LEDs so that it could be seen from any direction, including from directly above, and would strobe to minimize power consumption and maximize visibility.

Modern LEDs are so bright that they can be seen for miles. Have you ever had a guy in a new car in front of you almost blind you with his new LED brake lights?

If used in stormy areas, it could be shaped to remain airborne, even in strong wind (like a kite), as a tethered balloon may tend to blow back to the ground under conditions like this.

The wire used to conduct power, and tether the unit, could also provide a makeshift antenna that’d probably yield considerable range so that the visual beacon could also be a radio beacon.

A small radar concentrator (a passive radar box reflector) could also be placed on the wire (or in the balloon) to light up the radar screens of search planes.

The system would be perfect for campers, mountaineers, boaters etc.

Very cheap to manufacture. Very easy to use.