Shark-spotting drones patrol Aussie beaches
sydney — High-tech shark-spotting drones are patrolling dozens of Australian beaches this summer to quickly identify underwater predators and deliver safety devices to swimmers and surfers faster than traditional lifesavers.
As hundreds of people lined up in early morning sun to take part in a recent ocean swimming race at Bilgola beach north of Sydney, they did so in the knowledge the ocean had been scanned to keep them safe.
“I think it is really awesome,” 20-year-old competitor Ali Smith said. “It is cool to see technology and ocean swimming getting together, and hopefully more people will feel safer and get involved.”
The drones being used are top notch. Artificial intelligence is built using thousands of images captured by a drone camera to develop an algorithm that can identify different ocean objects.
The software can differentiate between sea creatures, like sharks which it can recognise with more than 90 per cent accuracy, compared to about 16 percent with the naked eye.
“We can identify 16 different objects, like sharks, whales, dolphins, surfers, different kinds of boats and many other objects of interest,” software designer Nabin Sharma from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) told reporters.
“We are spotting sharks and we can alert swimmers and surfers in real time, so we can get them back to the beach,” he added. “In short, we are trying to make beach recreation more safe.”
Surf lifesaving clubs are Australian institutions dotted along the > The drones aim to quickly identify underwater predators and deliver safety devices to surfers faster than traditional lifesavers > Artificial intelligence is built using thousands of images to develop an algorithm that can identify ocean objects country’s coastline — where the majority of the population live.
They ordinarily rely on the naked eye to spot sharks, and launch surfboards or rubber dinghies from shore to rescue anyone in trouble.
The drone is a welcomed technical intervention that can also drop safety devices to distressed swimmers, just moments after they have > The software can differentiate between sea creatures > The drones can recognise sea objects with more than 90 per cent accuracy, compared to 16 per cent with the naked eye > The drone is a welcomed technical intervention been identified. “The reason the drone is so important is sometimes we can’t see over the waves, so having the drone is that little piece of extra prevention for us,” Bilgola Surf Lifesaving Club president Romilly Madew said.
“It gives us that line of sight that we can’t see — both for the surfers, and really for our patrols.”—