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drone rescue
Drone rescues two Australian swimmers in world's first
Australia is leading the use of the technology in surf lifesaving, with dozens of drones being trialled on beaches around the country.
12.43pm, 18 Jan 2018
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A PAIR OF Australian swimmers today became the first people to be rescued in the ocean by a drone when the aerial lifesaver dropped a safety device to distressed teens caught in rough seas.
Australia is leading the use of the technology in surf lifesaving, with dozens of drones being trialled on beaches around the country.
In what is believed to be a world-first drone surf rescue, two boys today got caught in three-metre (10-foot) swells while swimming off Lennox Head in New South Wales, near the border with Queensland.
Beachgoers onshore raised the alarm to the lifeguards who then alerted the drone pilot, and the aerial lifesaver was deployed in moments.
“I was able to launch it, fly it to the location, and drop the pod all in about one to two minutes,” lifeguard supervisor Jai Sheridan told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“On a normal day that would have taken our lifeguards a few minutes longer to reach the members of the public.”
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Other than a little weary from their experience the pair were reportedly unharmed.
Along with their ability to spot swimmers in trouble and deliver life saving devices faster than traditional lifesaving techniques, like launching surfboards or rubber dinghies, drones are being used in Australia to spot underwater predators like sharks and jellyfish.
Artificial intelligence is being developed using thousands of images captured by a drone camera to build an algorithm that can identify different ocean objects.
The software can differentiate between sea creatures, like sharks which it can recognise with more than 90% accuracy, compared to about 16% with the naked eye.
Some beaches in Australia have shark nets, but a government report last year called for their phasing out in favour of exploring a range of alternatives, including sonar technology and aerial patrols.
The inquiry found that nets did not guarantee public safety any more than other deterrents but caused significant damage to marine life.
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Look at how long it took them to pass legislation on “online grooming”. It’s difficult to criminalise behaviour that’s indicative of future crimes without the actual commission of the crime, total legal quagmire.
The simple fact he was detained and only released under bail conditions for vaguely defined “suspicious approaches” is a result of expanded child protection laws, of which the North has more stringent ones than we do.
I’d like to know what the charges would be if prosecution went ahead. Also, what are the bail conditions? Hopefully stringent enough so he can be charged if and/or when he breaks them, and it’s not a matter of waiting for him to commit a more easily prosecutable crime.
Hopefully his file rather than been passed to the courts office makes its way in a brown envelope out the back door and to a group of lads that will have a chat with him that involves a coal bag full of chimney cleaning rods,
A year or so ago, there was an alert about a strange man approaching children outside our local school.
When the panic and lynch mob calmed down, it transpired the man had learning difficulties and was simply lonely and could relate to children more than adults.
It is right that we are all vigilant and that we get police to investigate matters, but let’s slow down with the fire torches and pitchforks and let our justice system deal with it calmly
Once upon a long ago, a certain loyalist paramilitary group, well known for being strongly connected to certain child abusers, ran the Kilcooley estate.
Must still be in charge.
His mind set he is going to be locked up anyway with this in mind he could strike again with terrible consequences for some family . Very risky to release him.
The US Commerce Secretary says Ireland runs a 'tax scam'. Does he have a point?
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