National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) powered system that can detect people drowning in water.
The system was developed by a team led by NCKU Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering professor Doong Dong-jiing (董東璟), who demonstrated the technology at Sunset Platform in Tainan’s Anping District (安平) on Saturday.
The AI-powered equipment combines high-precision optic cameras with deep-learning algorithms that can detect someone drowning in a body of water near where the system is installed.
Photo courtesy of the National Cheng Kung University
Upon detecting anomalies such as signals for help or prolonged submersion under water, the system alerts on-duty lifeguards or the system’s management to initiate rescue protocols.
The system can also monitor people at beaches where it is installed, the first time AI has been incorporated into safety detection efforts at beaches, Doong said.
At the demonstration of the system, NCKU presented its capabilities in identifying beachgoers and discerning between activities such as windsurfing, paddleboarding and people riding water scooters.
The system issued alerts when swimmers crossed beyond the safety boundaries of the beach and when a demonstrator pretended to drown.
With beaches sometimes being crowded with hundreds or thousands of people, it is difficult for lifeguards to monitor their surroundings at all times, he said.
However, with the AI drowning detection system, first responders can receive rescue alerts before it is too late, he said.
The system is versatile enough to be installed near swfimming pools, streams, ponds and even reservoirs to prevent drowning, he added.
The university said in a statement said that the team has proven the system’s accuracy and reaction speed by testing it in many different locations.
The tests have shown how practical the system is, the university said, adding that it hopes to see the technology incorporated near Taiwan’s coasts soon to help prevent people from drowning.
Last year, 554 people in Taiwan died from drowning, Ministry of the Interior data showed.
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