Two teenagers who were swimming in the ocean were rescued by a drone in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This happened while lifeguards were testing and learning how to use the new lifeguard drone equipment.  The boys, aged 15 and 17 and were truly lucky that the drone was available when the incident occurred.  It happened off the coast of Lenox in NSW. The boys got into trouble while swimming, but luckily, were spotted struggling in the heavy tides by lifeguards on the beach.  The lifeguards immediately sent their new drone to the location of the boys. The drone then dropped an inflatable pod which assisted the buys back to shore.

The NSW deputy premier, John Barilaro was ecstatic thanks to the rescue drone operation, stating that it was ‘historic’. This is because it was the first time that a drone was outfitted with an inflatable pod and used to save swimmers.  Jai Sheridan was piloting the device when the alarm was raised. He is a lifeguard supervisor and described the experience as ‘unreal’.

The drone is called the “Little Ripper” and has certainly proved itself to be ‘life-saving’, stated Sheridan. He told the Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper that the drone was a delight to fly.  Rescuing the boys took only a few minutes. The drone was launched to the site of the incident right after the alarm went off. The boys were located and a pod was released in under 2 minutes. Without the assistance of the drone, it would have taken lifeguards 3 times longer to get to where the boys were located. The rescue was fast and more importantly, was recorded by the drone’s camera.

With this new development, we can expect to see more emergency rescue operations that involve drones. Officials can now monitor events in real time.  In December last year, the NSW state government invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a fleet of drones. Some of these drones were designed to detect sharks while others will carry flotation devices like the one mentioned above. The investment was worthwhile given the recent rescue and many people hope to see more states follow suit.

Drones are being used in many industries to promote and enhance operations. They’re used as medical dispensaries in remote areas, law enforcement, retail deliveries, emergency services and more. The technology is proving to be one of the most valuable innovations in recent times.