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178 'Australia' stories October 2017 - January 2018
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Lifeguards use a drone to rescue to Australian teenagers

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Jan 18 2018 - 9:39 am PT
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Lifeguards use a drone to rescue to Australian teenagers

Today two teenagers got in distress when they were swimming in rough seas off the shore of Lennox Head in New South Wales, Australia. The lifeguards on duty did not waste any time and deployed the Little Ripper rescue drone to fly out to the swimmers and drop a flotation device. The two boys were able to grab the device, hold on to it and swim safely back to shore where they were met by lifeguards and only appeared to show signs of fatigue.

According to Ben Franklin, parliamentary secretary for Northern New South Wales, the whole event took 70 seconds instead of the 6 minutes it normally takes a lifeguard to reach people in need.


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Dancing on top of harvester during a lightning storm [drone video]

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Dec 7 2017 - 5:13 pm PT
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Have a look at this video of a man dancing on top of a harvester while the dark sky lights up behind him with lightning strikes. It is quite an amazing scene. The video is shot with a drone and the higher vantage point adds drama and enables you to see things you may otherwise miss. Kind of like this guy in the ocean. The drone video was recorded in the town of Toowoomba, Queensland, which is close to Brisbane on the east coast of Australia.

In the video, the drone slowly circles the harvester and you get a good view of the dark and ominous looking scene. The frequent lightning strikes in the beginning of the clip help set the mood for what only can be described as the world’s most dramatic harvest dance ever.


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Drone to police the beaches in Queensland after crocodile attacks

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Nov 21 2017 - 9:14 am PT
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Last week we reported about a drone patrol program being started in Perth, Australia. Today we learn that drones will be used to patrol the beaches in the far north of Queensland after a series of crocodile attacks. Fatal crocodile attacks have led to Surf Lifesaving Queensland to deploy a drone to spot for crocodiles in swim areas. Ever since crocs were found in stinger enclosures, three beaches have been closed.


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Drone patrol at beaches in Perth, Australia

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Nov 17 2017 - 11:33 am PT
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Drones to the rescue at beaches in Perth, Australia

As we go into the winter here in New York, summer is just getting started in Perth, Australia. 7 News Perth reports that this year the lifeguards will have a new member on their team, a drone. In Surf Life Saving colors these drones will help the lifeguards patrol the beach, looking for swimmers in need and to spot any sharks nearby. Both swimmers and sharks are very hard to spot from the beach, but from a drone’s point of view, they are clearly visible in the ocean water.


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Burritos delivered by drone – Alphabet’s Project Wing in South Eastern Australia

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Oct 17 2017 - 10:51 am PT
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Burrito's delivered by drone - Alphabet’s Project Wing in South Eastern Australia

It has been a little quiet around Alphabet’s Project Wing, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any progress. Over the last few years, Project Wing has made thousands of test flights and now they are ready to start making deliveries. The test market is Queanbeyan, South Eastern Australia, where two merchants have signed up for Project Wing. Guzman y Gomez, a Mexican food chain, and Chemist Warehouse, a chain of pharmacies. These companies will receive orders from test consumers, who’ve purchased items using the Project Wing app on their smartphones. Project Wing’s drones will then fly out and make the deliveries. The first burrito delivered by drone in Australia is now a fact. Believe it or not, this actually happened before when Google delivered Chipotle Burritos via drones to Virginia Tech college students in Blacksburg.


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