AI Lifeguard Drone

AI Lifeguard is an autonomous drowning-detection and rescue system designed to intervene when seconds matter. Using real-time computer vision, the system monitors swimmers’ movement and identifies patterns that may indicate distress, loss of purposeful movement, or submersion. Once a potential drowning event is detected, it tracks the person’s position and directs a drone to the location. Unlike conventional rescue drones that deliver flotation devices for a conscious person to grab, AI Lifeguard is designed to assist even when the person is unconscious and already underwater. The drone deploys a compact, deflated U-shaped rescue device toward the submerged person. Two positioning probes are designed to locate the upper torso and underarm area, guide the device around the chest, and trigger inflation. The resulting buoyancy brings the person toward the surface and supports the upper body until human rescuers arrive. The hackathon prototype focuses on the intelligence required to initiate this process: real-time swimmer detection and tracking, analysis of body movement over time, recognition of potentially dangerous movement patterns, continued localization after submersion, and activation of a simulated rescue response. The goal is not to replace lifeguards. It is to reduce the critical interval between a drowning event and physical assistance—particularly when the person can no longer signal for help, reach for a flotation device, or remain at the surface.