Swimmers in need of assistance may soon be surprised at their source of rescue. A new mechanical rescue device named Emily that can hold up to five people is being developed and tested.
CNN reports that engineer and serial entrepreneur Tony Mulligan has invented a robotic buoy about four feet long that is capable of charging through rough waters at about 24 mph to rescue swimmers in distress. Emily's engineers say the robot can sometimes rescue swimmers twelve times as fast as humans.
Mulligan sold his company, Advanced Ceramics Research, to British Aerospace Electronic Systems in June of 2009 for $14.7 million. Twenty days and $250,000 later, he had Emily's prototype up and running. After some revisions, Mulligan was ready for testing reports CNN:
The final result is a remote-controlled contraption powered by a tiny electric pump called an impeller, which squirts a forceful stream of water, much like the propulsion system on a Jet Ski. Manufactured by Mulligan's startup, a seven-employee company called Hydronalix in Sahuarita, Ariz., Emily can run up to 80 miles on a single battery charge. The device's foam core is buoyant enough to support up to five people, who cling to Emily's ropes until human aid arrives.
Riptides can drag multiple people out to sea much faster than people realize, so having a device that is able to navigate those waters quickly will be a very big help to lifeguards, who in such conditions can take more than half an hour to complete a rescue.
Mulligan began testing Emily in late March of this year at Zuma Beach in Malibu. It had about 30 miles of treacherous coastline to patrol. The device is slated to be released for public use next spring, just in time for spring break.
Some of the technology planned for future models is incredible. Next year's model houses a sonar device that maps out water currents in 3D and uses built-in sensors to listen for noises above and below water that might identify distressed swimmers.
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In the slightly more distant future, Emily will contain technology that will enable it to scan the ocean for human bodies or shipwrecks using hyper spectral imaging technology.
Despite interest from the University of Arizona and the US Navy, not everyone is excited about Emily.
President of the United States Lifesaving Association, B. Chris Brewster, told CNN this device solves a problem that "doesn't necessarily coincide with reality." He added that these devices would be useless against unconscious swimmers.
