Paku is the ultimate kitesurf protection, ideal for any level of experience. Is a fully automated life jacket hidden inside a test shaped protection vest, with EVA reinforcements to also help buoyancy, as D3O impact absorbers does exactly the opposite, having an higher density than water.
So, i focused on purpose made questionnaires sent to the biggest italian kitesurf community, gathering the most common and still unsolved problems, dated back in 2012. What hit my mind was the frequency of kite accidents causing explosion of the leading edge, and forcing the kiters to wait in the middle of the lake or sea waiting for rescue boats, without any buoyancy help. There came out this project, Paku.
So, i focused on purpose made questionnaires sent to the biggest italian kitesurf community, gathering the most common and still unsolved problems, dated back in 2012. What hit my mind was the frequency of kite accidents causing explosion of the leading edge, and forcing the kiters to wait in the middle of the lake or sea waiting for rescue boats, without any buoyancy help. There came out this project, Paku.
Paku activates by itself whenever the kiter is subjected to a very high instantaneous deceleration when impacting with the water surface falling from high jumps, or with rocks and/or other hard objects. This kind of impacts is enough to break a bone or make the kiter loose conciousness. Thus, Paku needed to be automated in bringing the kiter in the correct position outside the water, in any status of the athelt. There i studied the shape of the buoyancy tube and the automated activation sistem, creating an innovative and unique solution.
