The programme, developed by a company called SightBit, uses information collected from surveillance cameras to determine who is in the water -- an adult or child, for example -- if they are moving or limp, and the current's movement at that location. If a threat is determined, the programme sends an alert to a tablet held by the user -- a lifeguard, in this case -- with urgent instructions to act. SightBit's chief executive Netanel Eliav told AFP that he developed the technology after identifying a shortfall in how closed-circuit footage was being applied to boost safety in the water. The programme has been in use for more than a year in Ashdod, a city on Israel's Mediterranean coast that chose to deploy SightBit technology in an area at a distance from the nearest lifeguard. "We chose to locate the technology in areas away from the lifeguard towers, so the additional'eyes' there help the lifeguards very much," said Arie Turjeman, director of Ashdod's coast division.

A new artificial intelligence-based (AI) lifeguard system aims to prevent drowning and monitor waterfront and coastal areas. Sightbit has been developed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) alumni in Israel and aims to help lifeguards monitor thousands of swimmers and identify risky situations and other water hazards. The system is already being used by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority along five miles of coastline in Palmachim National Park, creating what the developers claim is the first smart beach. According to the World Health Organisation, there are an estimated 320,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for seven per cent of all injury-related deaths.

Drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data, with an estimated 320,000 fatalities each year globally. While lifeguards play a crucial role in helping safeguard beaches and pools, the human eye struggles to spot swimmers in distress in large crowds or at a distance -- with or without the help of binoculars. Sightbit is harnessing AI to alert lifeguards to potential drowning incidents, as well as flagging other hazardous situations, such as unattended children and rip currents. Founded in 2019, Israel-based Sightbit is a spinout from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). The public research university invests in alumni via its Cactus Capital VC fund and has provided pre-seed funding to Sightbit, which is currently raising additional funds as part of a seed round.