After sifting through the online “Technology” sections of many newspapers and news sites, I finally stumbled upon a story about Emily, the robotic lifeguard being tested on beaches in Malibu. Emily, an acronym for “Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard,” is, according to the article on CNN.com, “a four-foot-long robotic buoy” that is remote-controlled by a trained human life guard on shore. Basically, the lifeguards put Emily in the water, and control it similar to the way one controls an RC car – the controller itself looks like they took it out of a Toys-R-Us box and programmed it to work with Emily. To be honest, I expected the robot to be more human-like. Instead, it’s essentially a buoyant cylinder with handles which distressed swimmers can cling to until a human life guard arrives to provide appropriate care.
The benefits of Emily are quite obvious. Emily is stronger and more agile in the water than humans, and can reach distressed swimmers “twelve times as fast as human lifeguards.” It can maneuver through dangerous surf and rip tides, and, obviously, one never has to worry about Emily drowning – maybe only short-circuiting. Still in its developmental stages, the latest version of Emily “boasts a microphone and speaker acoustics system, enabling lifeguards to warn beachgoers of danger zones or calm panicked swimmers. And… it won't be long before Emily will be able to scan ocean depths for human bodies or ship wrecks using hyperspectral imaging technology, which measures underwater rays of visible light to distinguish between different materials. It can also save beaches money by not having to pay salary for another lifeguard.
The article does, however, acknowledge some drawbacks to Emily. Primarily, it could never replace the real-time, emergency response instincts that human lifeguards have. The article points out that “a robotic floatation device -- no matter how nifty -- can't save an unconscious swimmer.” Emily does seem like a step in the right direction for swimmer safety at America’s beaches. It is quicker and stronger than human life guards, and reduces the risk life guards themselves face when rescuing swimmers. However, as with any new technology, caution must be taken to ensure that we don’t become dependent on robots like Emily so that those with whom we trust our lives don’t become lazy and inattentive in case of true urgency.
Here is a link to the article on CNN.com, which includes a cool video of Emily in action!
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