Move over lifeguards, because tech is here to save lives!
Okay, okay, lifeguards still played a very important role in the first-ever drone rescue – they just weren’t the ones getting in the water.
In Lennox Head, Australia, two men were caught in rough surf far from shore. After someone spotted the swimmers in distress, it wasn’t long before lifeguards piloted a drone above the men and dropped an inflatable life preserver, reports CNN.
The drone, called The Little Ripper UAV, recorded the whole thing:
Kind of looks like Wilderness.
The two were exhausted, although unharmed.
The New South Wales government invested $430 000 (R5,2 million) in funding to Surf Life Saving NSW for the drone project:
“The Little Ripper UAV certainly proved itself today. It is an amazingly efficient piece of lifesaving equipment and a delight to fly,” said Lifeguard Supervisor Jai Sheridan, who piloted the drone during the rescue.
“I was able to launch it, fly it to the location, and drop the pod all in about 1 to 2 minutes,” he said.
“On a normal day, that would have taken our lifeguards a few minutes longer to reach.”
And that, my friends, is the future of lifesaving.
[source:cnn]
