Crocodile spotting drones to patrol Queensland beaches
Crocodile-spotting drones will be deployed over north Queensland beaches this summer to help keep swimmers safe.
Australian based Ripper Group has partnered with tech giant Amazon and other firms in the project, initiated by the Queensland government.
The CrocSpotter technology incorporates drone systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing in a small pilotless aircraft that can spot a crocodile in muddy waters.
Drone developer Westpac Little Ripper designed its drones to monitor beaches and look for swimmers in danger. It then adapted the technology to spot sharks in the water.
The crocodile spotting drone was recently flown over the Mowbray River in Queensland. Getty
An AI algorithm created in conjunction with the University of Technology Sydney now enables the drone to monitor crocodiles in rivers, creeks and on beaches over popular tourist areas of northern Queensland.
Ben Trollope, chief executive of Little Ripper, said the technology had an accuracy rate of 93 per cent.
"In relation to the Australian coastline, we've got one of the most dynamic in the world, and the artificial intelligence has been processed through a range of different environments. We're at 93 per cent accuracy."
He said this was compared with an accuracy rate of 12 to 17 per cent by human observers.
The drones can also detect sharks and were tested over NSW beaches last year. Nine
However, Surf Life Saving Queensland said a human pilot would remotely fly the drone.
The crocodile-spotting technology was unveiled yesterday at the World of Drones Congress in Brisbane yesterday.
It will be deployed at locations including Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas and some beaches around Cairns in Far North Queensland.
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