A company in Chile is hoping to use drones to save lives. Drones fitted with a float, camera, microphone and speaker are being tested on the beaches of Algarrobo to help lifeguards rescue distressed swimmers.
“It works really well for us because during the trial the drone got there before I did and this was good because that person had already got hold of the float,” explained lifeguard Julian Vera.
The drones are controlled from the beach and used to get to swimmers quickly while the lifeguard swims to their aid.
A float is attached to the bottom of the drone and can be dropped down to the swimmers while they are monitored from the on-board camera.
The speaker and microphone also enable lifeguards on the beach to give instructions to the swimmer and receive information in real-time.
“If these are used on the beaches of Chile it’s going to be a global novelty because there’s no record of this being done before,” said Pablo Fuentes, director of Green Solution, the company developing the drones.
Fuentes hopes the drones will be embraced by Chilean authorities and put to work on beaches next summer.
Source: WTVY