VIDEO: Ocean safety officials in Hawaii are hoping new technology can help keep residents and visitors safe in the water.
Drowning remains the leading cause of death among Hawaii children and a leading cause of injury-related deaths among visitors, officials said.
The Hawaii Fire Department is currently testing three remote-controlled robots, called “Dolphin 3,” to help with rescues along hard-to-reach or inaccessible shorelines throughout Hawaii County.
The robots can be controlled from up to 800 meters away, and are equipped with anti-capsizing features and light modules for low-light rescues. They were donated by The Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation.
“We’re in the final stages of applying what we learned into our operational procedures, and then from there, we hope to put them into action to save lives,” said HFD Ocean Safety Division Battalion Chief Bradley Young.
The robots were featured at the annual Hawaii Water Safety Coalition meeting Thursday to advance the Hawaii Water Safety Plan, which was released last year to address drowning through cross-agency collaboration.
