Drones have the potential to revolutionize many industries and offer a variety of useful applications, both in the civilian and military sectors. In a pilot project in Santanyi on Mallorca, drones are now to be used to save lives in critical situations in the water.Santanyí, the pretty, rural and still authentically Mallorcan village in the south-east of the island, is known above all for the many creative people who have moved here over the years; the main attractions of the small community are the many different galleries and workshops in the narrow streets of the peaceful village. Now Santanyi, which has often had to protect itself from pirate attacks in the past and whose original name Santi Annini means 'Lamb of God', has one more attraction: drones are soon to come to the aid of lifeguards and help with beach surveillance, reports the Mallorcazeitung (MZ) in an article from August 29. Drones, unmanned, remote-controlled aircraft, are already often used for aerial photography and filming, companies such as Amazon are testing drones for faster delivery of parcels, drones can help in agriculture, search and rescue operations, environmental monitoring and in the military and police sector.
Drones do not only have positive characteristics: in addition to security risks, there are also concerns about data protection and surveillance
However, the many practical features of modern aircraft are also accompanied by safety risks: Drones can pose a danger to air traffic, especially near airports or when used improperly in busy airspaces.
Data protection and surveillance are also problematic, misuse cannot be ruled out and, finally, there is the risk of crashes and accidents, not to mention the annoyance factor when several small private drones buzz loudly above people’s heads on vacation at the beach.
However, when it buzzes loudly above the heads of bathers on Santanyi beach – as it is doing at the moment – then it could be a drone that has been purchased and approved by the municipality and is intended to be used to prevent bathing accidents, as the MZ writes.
The official Mallorca drone can contact bathers in distress and give instructions on what to do
“The communication system that the drone has can contact bathers in distress and give instructions on what to do until the lifeguards arrive”, the article says, adding that the drone is even equipped with two life jackets that it can drop over the bathers.
The flying object is to be used “in places that the lifeguards cannot see with the naked eye”. The drone has a range of up to three kilometers, meaning it can monitor a total of six kilometers of coastline from the beach.
Contact with the water and strong winds should “not cause any problems” for the device. Drones of this kind have been used in the Valencia region since 2017. In the meantime, 25 municipalities now rely on support from the air.
Despite all the experience and efforts of the lifeguards, tourists and locals continue to drown off the coast of the Spanish Mediterranean island every year, writes mallorcazeitung.es in another article on this topic from September 19. The lifeguards would “have their hands full”; in order to relieve them and reduce the number of accidents, drones should be used in future.
The tests with the talking drone will continue until September 26. If the tests are successful, it will be used permanently
The tests have been carried out by General Drones from Valencia since the end of August and will continue until September 26 (YouTube). The flying object could not only help swimmers in distress, writes the MZ: “we can also film boats that don’t follow the rules. This way, the police can later issue parking tickets”, company boss Adrián Plazas is quoted as saying in the article.
Plazas continues: “We can fly it up to six kilometers”; the drone has a loudspeaker and announcements can be made in Spanish and English. Two life jackets are also attached to the aircraft, which can be dropped in an emergency.
Other municipalities in Mallorca have already expressed their interest, writes mallorcazeitung.es, including the city of Palma, which has announced its intention to make the beach “intelligent”. In addition to the drones described above, a new app for renting parasols and sun loungers and video surveillance are also to be introduced there.
SeaHelp is represented in Mallorca with its own base, contact Service Baleares: Calle Ramon de Montcada 17, 07180 Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, Spain. Tel: +34 (0) 646086090, mallorca@sea-help.eu.
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