Little Ripper deploys croc-spotting AI drones ZDNet

The same artificial intelligence (AI) drone technology that the Little Ripper Group used for its shark detection drones is now being used to spot crocodiles in Queensland. Little Ripper Group co-founder Paul Scully-Power said the company was approached by the Queensland government to help keep beachgoers safe in the water and on land from crocodiles. "The Queensland government said, 'Hey do we have a challenge for you and asked can you spot crocodiles for us?' Crocodiles are slinky people that like dark, muddy water, so we took on that challenge," he said. The launch of the crocodile-spotting drones follows on from a trial that was carried out between Surf Life Saving Queensland and the Little Ripper Group to identify, monitor, and track the movement of crocodiles in November. The drone technology, dubbed the Little Ripper and designed together with the University of Technology Sydney, uses an AI system that was originally designed to detect sharks in real-time.