Every year, more than 3,500 people in the United States die from drowning. It’s the fifth leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States, and the second leading cause of accidental deaths among children aged 1–14 years. Worldwide, drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional death.
More than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings among people 15 years and older occur in natural waters like lakes, rivers, or oceans. When a drowning occurs on an open water environment, it’s up to lifeguards, first responders, and search & rescue rescue personnel to locate, then recover, a victim quickly.
A new tool, AquaEye, aims to help lifeguards, rescuers, and public safety divers locate and identify underwater victims quickly using a combination of ultrasound and artificial intelligence technologies. Using Sonar, the handheld device can quickly scan an area underwater, identify a potential victim, then guide rescuers directly to them. It’s now being deployed by Fire Rescue, Lifeguard, Law Enforcement and Search and Rescue teams worldwide.
AquaEye by VodaSafe® sends a sonar pulse out for up to 50 meters (165 feet) and listens for the return echo. Using artificial intelligence, the AquaEye then decides which echoes match the echoes from a human body and indicates the location of the missing persons on the screen. It can scan an area of 85,000 square feet of water in under 5 minutes. The display on the unit identifies two types of targets, showing an ‘X’ for an object which has a higher likelihood of being a body and an ‘O’ for a object that is less likely to be a person.
The AquaEye is battery powered and will remain fully charged while on its charging dock. Once removed will operate continuously for 8 hours before requiring a recharge. If an AquaEye is left on standby without being used for long periods of time we recommend recharging it once every 2-3 months. It’s designed for surface use, and can be submerged up to 5m.
For more information, visit AquaEye or visit them on Facebook HERE.