Could you throw a lifebuoy all the way out to a distressed swimmer located one kilometer away? Nope, you couldn't … but you could fly one out to them, in the form of the TY-3R Flying Lifebuoy drone.
Manufactured by Chinese drone company Didiok Makings, the TY-3R is essentially a cross between a quadcopter and a lifebuoy.
The idea is that when a struggling swimmer is spotted by shore-based rescuers, they'll just fire up the drone, fly it out to the person and land it on the water, where the swimmer will use it as a floatation device. A slower-traveling human rescuer will then proceed out on a watercraft, to bring the individual back to shore.
The TY-3R takes off with the push of a button on an included joystick remote, and provides the pilot with a real-time view from a tilt-able onboard 720p camera on its way out.
Once the swimmer has been picked up and doesn't require the drone for floatation anymore, another button-push causes the aircraft to autonomously fly back to the GPS coordinates of its take-off location – the copter is capable of taking off from the water, as well as landing on it.
According to Didiok, the TY-3R can float up to two adults, has a communications range of 1.1 km (3,609 ft), a top speed of 47 km/h (29 mph) and a runtime of over 10 minutes per battery-charge. It's also claimed to tip the scales at less than 5 kg (11 lb) and be fully IP68 waterproof. That means it can withstand being submerged to a depth of 1 m (3.3 ft) for 30 minutes.
And yes, the TY-3R shuts off its motors upon landing on the water, plus it has screens over its propellers to further protect swimmers' fingers and other appendages. It's available now via the Didiok Makings website, priced at US$11,803. You can see it in action in the video below, starting at about the 01:05 mark.
Not surprisingly, this isn't the first distressed-swimmer-rescuing drone we've seen. The Pars, Little Ripper, Auxdron and Project Riptide system are also capable of performing the task, although they all do so by dropping separate floatation devices down to the person.
Source: Didiok Makings
