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Australia Deploys Shark-Spotting Drones To Keep Watch Over Beachgoers (gizmag.com)
Zothecula writes: With tens of thousands of miles of coastline and a recent spike in shark attacks, Australia is exploring some pretty imaginative approaches to ensuring the safety of its beachgoers. Magnetic barriers and shark-tracking phone apps are a few of the tech ideas that have been floated, and the state of New South Wales is now turning to drones to help do the job. It has launched a trial of unmanned shark-spotting aircraft, which will survey the coastline for predators lurking in shallow waters.
to defend against the lasers on the sharks? Maybe some-kind of shark laser counter measures?
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
and are the drones web-scale yet?
So when politicians (political sharks) and lawyers (landsharks) are on the beach will there be false positives? :)
These will be shaped like sharks, right?
More like, drones to keep watch over people who might be talking about "munitions."
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Why are the drones only deployed at nude beaches?
There has been some use of drones by a local water rescue team for a secluded beach area on the east coast of the US. It's a matter of cost and effectiveness. The coast is not protected by a standard lifeguard service so having these eyes in the sky gives the mobile water rescue teams the ability to cover large areas via ATV's.
Using drones to spot sharks is untested technology with no backing in scientific method of research, analysis, or peer review
...and as a member of the Australian scientific community I for fear of spending a decade in prison wholly endorse our new beach drones!
Good people go to bed earlier.
From what I understand sharks in shallow water near coastlines is very common, people generally just don't know they are there. If that is true it sounds like this will generate more false positives than anything else. There are certain types of sharks (bull shark for example) that are far more prone to attacks, but I doubt a drone is going to be able to make that determination.
They're wayyy more likely to be killed by a cow than by a sharks.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/news...
In fact, with all the dangerous animals in Australia, you're probably much safer in the water...
unmanned shark-spotting aircraft
Cool use of tech. But don't tell the sharks about
Hacking a Professional Drone.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Cause of death per capita is not a reliable way to gauge creature risk. Deaths per hour of human contact is a proper comparison. And (to no one's honest surprise) domesticated animals cause a very low number of human deaths per hour of human contact.
There are three dominant reasons that sharks do not kill more humans than they do.
1) Few actual encounters. People are generally cautious about sharks and take somewhere between reasonable and excessive precautions. This makes attacking them difficult for a shark regardless of the below.
2) Unfamiliarity. Sharks are fairly opportunistic and pretty good at recognizing opportune moments to strike seals, turtles, fish, and other shark-snacks. Humans usually do not resemble any of those and the most opportunistic time to attack a human is usually when they are napping in a hammock, which is a difficult challenge for most sharks to reach.
3) Time of day. Many sharks are nocturnal, and most humans are at least diurnal swimmers if not completely diurnal.
Point 2 is the only one that stays somewhat valid during actual unarmored human-shark interactions, but does not make them harmless animals.
This is one very expensive piece of equipment that will be operating over water. (Unless they are looking for "land sharks") The pictures show no floats on it. What happens if there is a catastrophic failure and it crashes? At least if it is floating, they would have a chance of recovering it. The Australian government seems to have a great deal of faith in the reliability of this technology.
Yeah. Shark spotting. Right.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Do some drone subs instead of planes, then you just need a cool rubber "costume" for your drone and you've got a live-action Scooby Doo episode.
Nope, no sig
I recommend to you to avoid shark clothes to the frogs, for safety purposes
Make them look like big wounded manatees or something but load them up with pigs blood and liquor or whatever it is that gets sharks going. A gyroscope, antenna and battery would be enough to alert everybody. Bonus points if the decoys are filled with hooks and/or explosives. Sharks - it's time we stepped on those sea roaches.
Really? I'm pretty sure that like most aquatic creatures sharks are poikilothermic.
They were armed with "lasers"
In Surf Is Sharks
For sure. It's the Bogans you have to watch out for the most. They're a feral bunch and quite unpredictable. You never know when you're gunna get attacked by one of their signature weapons ... the thongarang.
http://www.transmissionfilms.c...
They're wayyy more likely to be killed by a cow than by a sharks.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/news...
In fact, with all the dangerous animals in Australia, you're probably much safer in the water...
Crocodiles (the salt water varieties are the really dangerous buggers), stone fish, sea snakes, blue ringed octopuses, box jellyfish, irukandji jellyfish and backpacker murderers can all be found in the water... And dont think you're safe on the beach because the coastal Taipan is one of the most dangerous and aggressive snakes in Oz. Not to mention sting rays buried in the sand.
In fact since moving to the UK, I've felt a sense of ease since the most dangerous creature here is an errant minicabber on the phone.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.