Drone vs. Shark: Australia's Crazy New Idea Just Might Work

Australia's famed Gold Coast, a 43-mile surfing mecca along the country's eastern shores, is looking to use AI-powered drones to warn people of sharks, lest they become chum. The humid, subtropical climate has seen fourteen shark attacks in the last two years that have resulted in two deaths, but a new shark-spotting initiative will officially debut in September after a year of R&D. It involves quad-copters that will fly above the greenish-blue water, relaying video to image-recognition technology that will determine if the footage is of mere dolphins, or something more deadly. And if a Jaws-like creature is confirmed, the drone sounds an alarm and can drop a four-person life raft and communication device that could enable swimmers to call for help. Australia's the Ripper Group is supplying the actual drones, while a team from the University of Technology Sydney developed the AI.