Project JUDE is a maritime safety initiative focused on improving survival outcomes in man-overboard (MOB) emergencies within the cruise ship industry. Although recent advances in artificial intelligence and onboard sensor systems have significantly improved the detection and location of overboard passengers, rescue methods have not advanced at the same pace. Current recovery efforts still rely heavily on delayed, crew-intensive procedures, leaving a critical gap between identifying a passenger in the water and providing immediate lifesaving assistance. This gap contributes to alarmingly high mortality rates, even when the individual is successfully detected.

To address this challenge, Project JUDE proposes the development of a maneuverable, submersible personal locator beacon (PLB) that can be rapidly deployed to the detected location of an overboard passenger. Once it reaches the target area, the device inflates on-site to provide flotation, emergency signaling, and basic survival support, including a stable grasp point and essential consumables. Designed to integrate with existing MOB detection systems, JUDE aims to transform passive alert systems into active rescue solutions by reducing response time and minimizing the need for immediate crew intervention during the most critical moments after an incident.

Beyond its immediate safety application, Project JUDE represents a multidisciplinary engineering effort that combines marine systems, autonomous navigation, inflatable rescue technologies, and emergency communications. Through iterative research, prototyping, and system integration, the project seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of a new class of deployable rescue technology that could be adopted across the maritime industry. With development beginning in August 2025 and a working model targeted for completion by March 2027, JUDE aims to establish a smarter, faster, and more effective standard for MOB rescue operations.