Robotic Lifeguard Could Help Save Humans From Drowning
Researchers have designed a robot to assist lifeguards and rescue swimmers in aquatic emergencies.
According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 320,000 deaths that occur annually from drowning worldwide. While most beaches and public swimming pools have lifeguards on duty, they can't see everything that happens, mostly below the water. That's where robots come in, as scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation have designed an underwater aquatic ROV that assists lifeguards and rescue swimmers during emergencies.
The underwater robot is autonomous and uses AI to recognize and identify specific postures that swimmers exhibit when in danger. The scientists use surveillance cameras mounted on swimming pool ceilings to register the movement patterns of swimmers in trouble, along with their position in the pool. When drowning persons are identified, those coordinates are sent to the robot, which is stored at a docking station on the pool's floor, which then travels to those in need. Once the ROV locates the victim, it then transports them to the surface using a mechanism that keeps the swimmer from slipping off as it ascends.
For lakes and other outdoor water bodies, the overhead surveillance cameras are affixed to zeppelins or large balloons. Since lakes can be cloudy or murky, the robot uses acoustic sensors (instead of cameras) to locate swimmers in trouble. The scientists conducted an open-water test of the robot at the Hufeisensee lake in Halle (Saale), Germany, where it was successful at locating an 80-kilogram dummy 3-meters beneath the lake's surface. It then picked up the victim, secured it in place, and transported the dummy 40-meters to shore, where a rescue team was waiting in place.
The current robotic prototype is equipped with batteries, motors, cameras, optical and navigational sensors, and measures-out at 90x50x50 centimeters, but the scientists have plans to reduce that size even further in swimming pools and lakes. Future revisions could also see the robotic frame take the shape of manta rays, which the scientists state would be more efficient and cost-effective than the current prototype.