Australia’s first astronaut, Dr Paul Scully-Power helped establish a New South Wales drone pilot training school in February 2017. The initial goal was training lifeguards to use unmanned aerial vehicles to drop lifebuoys and shark shields to swimmers in trouble. However, they might not have imagined a drone rescuing teens in trouble within eleven months.
Drone Rescuing Teens A World Premier Event
On January 18, 2018, Australian lifesavers were practicing flying a drone at Lennox Head, New South Wales. This is a popular spot for surfers who come to share the thrills and spills of a right-hand break with dolphins.
Then someone rushed up to them with news of two holiday makers struggling in heavy surf 700 meters offshore after being caught by the tide turn. The lifeguards did not hesitate for a moment.
They positioned an inflatable floating device in their portable energy drone’s hold-and-release basket, and sent it skimming over the sea. Within two minutes two people were on their way to safety, thanks to a drone rescuing teens in surf – or anybody else – for the first time.
Battery Power Was At the Heart of the Drama
The Little Ripper Life Saver drone flew on renewable battery power. We wish we could tell you more, but the manufacturer’s website does not provide the information. It could have taken three times longer to launch a boat and the survivors might have drowned. The success is therefore probably down to ,among other things, a lithium battery.
“Never before has a drone fitted with a flotation device been used to rescue swimmers like this,” the state’s deputy premier said, as he praised the rescue as an historic event. The trainee pilot on duty at the time was more modest. “The experience was unreal,” was all he told the BBC News. The New South Wales government invested US$ 340,000 in a fleet of drones. They all carry cameras. In fact, the drone shot the video you watched.
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Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/Y2xNyo6I3GM