AI lifesaving bid for Aussie beaches
A volunteer lifesaver and two tech mates are harnessing artificial intelligence to increase safety at the beach this summer.
The ResQvision platform is said to detect rip currents and swimmers in distress, and alert rescuers if a person is struggling in the sea.
The platform’s developers Alex Piatek, a volunteer lifesaver, and tech buddies Bryan Pakulski and Julian Kovacek say it is so accurate it can tell the difference between a swimmer in danger of drowning and one that is fine.
Their technology can use existing beach cameras to add another layer of safety to ocean swimming, with Piatek declaring the platform is ready for use as soon as summer.
“ResQvision fills the critical gap in beach safety during unpatrolled hours and at unpatrolled locations ,” he said.
“We urge councils and lifesaving organisations to adopt ResQvision this summer to reduce the preventable deaths on our coastlines.
“Utilising the existing infrastructure on beaches it minimises additional costs and we are ready to collaborate on pilot programs tailored to specific beach environments.”
The technology can differentiate between swimmers, surfers and waders and can assess their risk, as its AI model factors in ocean conditions.
There were 258 coastal deaths in the past season with 150 of them due to drowning, Surf Life Saving Australia’s annual report found.
All of those coastal drowning deaths occurred outside patrolled areas.
With nearly 70 per cent of Australian coastal drowning occurring more than 1km from surf life-saving services, Piatek said the new technology could have a dramatic impact.
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“There has never been a more opportune time to launch this technology in Australia,” he said.
“As a volunteer lifesaver myself, my passion for preventing these tragedies led to the invention of ResQvision. Ready for a summer rollout, this technology has the potential to significantly improve beach safety not just in Australia, but globally.”
The AI technology could also harness existing cameras at rock-fishing sites, where multiple incidents have occurred in recent months.
– AAP
