More than 50 years ago, a company from Solothurn, Switzerland, revolutionised the rescue of avalanche victims. The Barryvox VS-68 transceiver was developed for the Swiss army and subsequently found use in mountain sports. The technology is still up to date. Welcome to the fifth and final part of our series on Swiss inventions featured on postage stamps.
The Barryvox from 1974 in yellow (civilian version). The same device was made in red for the army. Image: Enter Technikwelt museum in Solothurn
If winter sports enthusiasts are buried by an avalanche, every second counts. The search is a race against time. With the tools that were available over 50 years ago, locating those buried usually took too long. In 1971, however, the company Autophon AG invented a device that was able to drastically speed up the location process.
The Solothurn-based company combined transmission and search functions in a single portable device for the first time. This meant that everyone could wear the same device – if someone was buried, it sent out a signal, while the other person set their device to receive the signal and followed the sound.
A patented invention
The technical breakthrough was based on two ideas. Firstly, a shared antenna for transmitters and receivers and, secondly, multi-level, adjustable sensitivity, which allows for an approximate search first and then a more precise one. A central manual switch controls all functions so that the device remains easy to operate even in stressful situations.
The four inventors at Autophon AG patented their invention. They filed their ‘device for searching for buried persons carrying the same type of device’ for protection on 24 December 1971 at 12 noon. On 14 September 1973, the then ‘Office of Intellectual Property’ (now the IPI) granted them the patent (CH 539 440). This gave them the exclusive right to use the technology for up to 20 years.
The device was christened Barryvox – after the legendary rescue dog Barry, the St Bernard who’s said to have saved the lives of over 40 people in the 19th century and whose preserved body is still on display in Bern today. After its market launch in 1974, the innovation quickly became the standard in avalanche victim search devices, particularly due to its range of 60 metres, which was exceptional at the time. Its frequency of 457 kHz later became the international standard.
This patent drawing reveals the inner workings of the Barryvox.
Barryvox became a James Bond gadget
The Swiss invention even made it to cinemas, as Dr Felix Wirth writes in the Jahrbuch für Solothurnische Geschichte (Yearbook of Solothurn History, Volume 97, 2024). According to the author, James Bond, played by Roger Moore, uses the device in the opening scene of the film ‘A View to a Kill’ (1985). “Kitted out with skis, a white ski suit and a yellow Barryvox, he manages to track down his MI6 colleague, 003, who’s died in an accident, and retrieve a secret microchip from him,” writes Felix Wirth. It’s likely the most expensive Barryvox in history: “The device used in the film was sold at auction for the equivalent of 3,000 Swiss francs,” explains Wirth.
The invention is named after Barry, the St Bernard. Illustration: ChatGPT
New versions
The Barryvox avalanche transceiver now belongs to Mammut Sports Group AG, which sells new versions that have a range of up to 100 metres. A quick online search shows that the first VS-68 models are still being traded on the Swiss auction platform Ricardo. What’s more, visitors to the Enter Technikwelt museum in Solothurn can see the timeless rescue device on display.
Swiss Post dedicated a special stamp to this life-saving invention in 2022. It features the newest version of the Barryvox at the time.
The Barryvox was continuously improved and is still sold today. Swiss Post dedicated a special stamp to the Swiss invention. Image: Swiss Post
Swiss inventions on stamps: the background story
Swiss Post has dedicated a stamp to the inventor of the toilet duck. It appeared in September 2025, and was the fifth stamp featuring a Swiss invention. The first four inventions were the garlic press, Menzi Muck diggers, Velcro fasteners and Barryvox avalanche transceivers. We’re dedicating a story to each of these legendary innovations.
“Swiss themes, especially ‘Swissness’, are very popular with our target group
– collectors and philatelists. In combination with the theme of inventions, this helps to draw attention to Switzerland as a country of inventors,” wrote Swiss Post in response to a query from the IPI.
The five inventions were selected during a brainstorming session. “The aim was to showcase the diversity and richness of Swiss inventions while covering our target group’s wide-ranging areas of interest.”
The toilet duck completes the series for the time being. So Swiss Post has compiled a folder containing all the stamps issued to date that feature Swiss inventions.
