Amazon delivers croc-spotting drones in Australia

An Australian maker of drones used to spot sharks near surf beaches has partnered with Amazon.com Inc and other firms to create a drone service that could protect tourists from crocodiles in holiday destinations.

The project was initiated by the government of the northeastern state of Queensland after the privately-owned Ripper Group successfully used drones to identify sharks in neighbouring New South Wales.

“It gives them a second set of eyes over the top of the human element to try and make it safer for crocodiles and humans,” Ben Trollope, chief executive of Westpac Little Ripper drones, said in a telephone interview from Brisbane.

The Ripper Group has also partnered with Amazon in developing the capability of the new drone service, including reducing delays in transmitting footage, Trollope said.

“Amazon have been vital,” he said, “They’ve opened up their whole capability, which has allowed us to quickly get to somewhere that could have taken quite a long time.”

The drones use an algorithm created by the University of Technology in Sydney that developers say can identify 16 types of marine life with an accuracy rate of 93 per cent. The algorithm is adjusted to separate crocodiles from mangroves in northern Queensland’s dense rainforest areas, a factor the ocean drones do not have to contend with.

“Everything is research for us. We’re continually collecting data, teaching the algorithm to get smarter,” Trollope said.

The drones were featured at the World of Drones Congress in Brisbane yesterday, where images were beamed in from a demonstration at a Queensland crocodile park.

Government data from January last year shows that four of 11 crocodile attacks since 2011 were fatal, including one in 2017 in the northern holiday area of Port Douglas.