Imagine a world where a single fleet of drones can patrol urban waterways, rescue struggling swimmers, and even deliver your lunch — all without a human pilot at the controls. That future is here, thanks to A2Z Drone Delivery.
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Earlier today, I came across a story [paywall] in the Wall Street Journal that tells how a recent study from Woods Hole Group Inc. shows that there are no good methods to keep swimmers safe from great white sharks in the waters off Cape Cod. In recent years, several people have been injured by sharks, and at least one person died in 2018. It made me wonder whether the Little Ripper drone with SharkSpotter technology from the Australia-based Ripper Group might be able to help warn Cape Cod tourists about great white sharks.
The Australia-based Ripper Group, known for their drones that can identify sharks, has partnered with Amazon to deliver a crocodile-spotting drone service to beaches in Australia.
Australia has been at the forefront of using drones to keep swimmers and surfers safe and warn them of any nearby sharks. Jason Iggleden, a builder from Sydney, said that the idea for a shark-spotting app was so obvious to him that he filed for a patent and sold everything he owned to develop and launch his new app, called Drone Shark.
Little Ripper’s Lifesaver drone can spot sharks with 90% accuracy. It distinguishes them from 16 other types of marine life, such as dolphins. This makes the drone when outfitted with the SharkSpotter artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm superior to the human eye.
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.
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.