The ‘Little Ripper’ Rescue Drone. Source: dezeen.com
The list of drones designed for commercial applications, other than professional photography has thus far been relatively short. It seems that most drones on the market presently are designed and promoted for leisure. We have seen cases of them being used for meaningful purposes such as surveillance; including patrolling of forests to identify fires early, and National Parks to tackle poaching. However, few have been shown providing such direct benefit as saving lives in immediate danger.
Little Ripper drone saves two teenage swimmers in world-first rescue
That changed in the beginning of this year when a drone- the Little Ripper rescued the lives of two swimmers who were swept out at sea by a rip in Lennox Head, New South Wales. The Little Ripper which was being used in a training session by lifeguards at the time, was piloted to the distressed swimmers after the lifeguards were alerted to the situation. The drone was used to rescue them by dropping an inflating rescue pod into the water, which the swimmers were able to hold onto helping them swim back to shore. In addition to rescuing, the Little Ripper drones are being used to spot predators such as sharks in swimming areas.
The ‘EOAMS’ Forest Surveillance Drone. Source: kongsberggeospatial.com/company/news-media
The achievement of the Little Ripper is a good example of the possibilities drones offer to serve important functions across various applications, in addition to just leisure. This diversity of product beyond original scope or idea, can be the case for many emerging technologies through great product design and creative thinking. To learn how we can assist you to identify worthwhile applications for a technology you are developing and deliver relevant functional solutions through our product development and industrial design process, get in touch on 03 9939 8880 or hello@honepd.com to arrange a visit to our offices in Melbourne, Australia.