AI Drones Will Detect Sharks and Alert Californian Beachgoers
AI-enabled drones are being used to monitor shark activity under the waves and alert beachgoers in the U.S.
The University of California Santa Barbara’s Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory (BOSL) is launching an initiative called “SharkEye” which will deploy AI-backed drones to detect shark activity and keep swimmers safe in Padaro Beach in California.
Padaro Beach is a popular area for surf camps. It also happens to be a nursery for young great white sharks.
According to a report by CNN, BOSL’s researchers are now hoping that the SharkEye AI camera technology will keep people safe from shark attacks in Padaro Beach.
SharkEye’s AI-enabled drones will monitor what is happening beneath the waves. Then, if a shark is spotted, SharkEye sends a text to the approximately 80 people who have signed up for alerts, including local lifeguards, surf shop owners, and the parents of children who take lessons.
AI Drones are Better Than Human Drone Pilots
CNN reports that in recent years, initiatives from New York to Sydney, Australia have involved officials and lifeguards using drones equipped with cameras to ensure beachgoer safety.
These drones provide live video feeds that require a pilot’s constant attention to distinguish between sharks, paddleboarders, seals, and kelp strands amid challenging conditions like choppy water and sun glare.
Despite these efforts, a study revealed that drones monitored by humans detect sharks with only about 60% accuracy.
This summer, the SharkEye project began field testing its technology by pitting drone pilots against its AI drones. The drone pilot surveys the area and counts the number of sharks spotted. Then SharkEye’s model then analyzes the video to see how many sharks it can find.
According to early tests, SharkEye’s AI technology is already performing “incredibly well,” detecting more sharks than a human can, and sometimes sharks that a human missed, perhaps because it was swimming too deep to spot easily, reports CNN.
SharkEye is using the drone footage it collects to analyze shark behavior. This footage is also being used to develop a computer vision machine learning model, an AI technology that allows computers to interpret information from images and videos. The goal is to train this model to identify great white sharks near Padaro Beach.
Image credits: Feature photo licensed via Depositphotos.
