Drone turns flying lifeguard
Device to be deployed on Dubai beaches can drop up to four lifebuoys and support eight people
Now, people drowning off Dubai beaches will be rescued by drones that will drop lifebuoy rings to them within seconds.
Dubai Municipality has added the custom-made drone named ‘Flying Rescuer’ to its Coastal Rescue and Safety (CRS) system, Khalid Sharif Al Awadhi, CEO of Environment, Health and Safety Sector, said.
Alia Al Harmoudi, director of the municipality’s Environment Department, said the drone can transport up to four lifebuoy rings to the emergency site, supporting up to eight drowning people.
The drone consists of four folding arms known as OctaX8, capable of carrying an 8kg load. It is also equipped with two cameras, one for high precision navigation for live video transmission up to 1km from the control point, and the other to facilitate the launch of rescue pipes and buoys precisely to the emergency area.
The drone is equipped with an integrated system for addressing the public. “The system enables remote voice guidance to be delivered from the control point of the device. It is very useful in cases of collective drowning or during sweeping currents.”
Rescue and relief cases have reached 2,139 since the launch of the CRS System in 2016, the municipality said.