The Aerobot Ring is a co-axial hexacopter (dodecacopter) and due to its design, it is incredibly efficient as well as agile.
Surf Life Saving Australia will be deploying the Aerobot Ring in a trial of its effectiveness. The aircraft are roughly three feet wide and have a payload capacity of around 15 pounds for a flight time of 15 minutes. They’ll carry cameras to keep an eye on the water, as well as life buoys to drop to those in distress. Plus, there’s a siren to warn people of potential trouble before it happens.
Should the tests prove to be successful, Brett Williamson, head of Surf Life Saving Australia would like to see the trials expanded to patrol many of Australia’s remote beaches unmanned by lifeguards.
There has been some debate over whether the UAS, with their cameras attached are an invasion of swimmers privacy on secluded beaches. Williamson told the Australian Broadcasting Service:
“At the end of the day this is about public safety,” he said. “It’s not about intruding on anybody’s privacy and, fortunately, with our experience of having the fixed cameras network we haven’t had one problem or one complaint or one operator that hasn’t operated in strict accordance with those protocols that we have in place.”
Controversy aside, with shark attacks and spottings on the rise in certain parts of Australia, the aircraft could very well help keep the encounters to a minimum as Australia heads into summer.
Source: Dvice