Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#191

Post by afandian » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:49 PM UTC

This is great idea but confusing. I missed the drowning event and tried to replay, but the controls are hidden. Clicking on the logo I got to an identical looking, but different video in which a different incident takes place (there's lots of them [0]).

To be educational, this should have a 'watch again' feature, or show the video controls, so I can actually re-watch the scene and watch for the features of drowning.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnERyC7dwJwTvEyzYz6uxHw

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#192

Post by lockes5hadow » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:50 PM UTC

northben wrote: post #34

Fellow HN readers: We're a smart bunch of hackers. Why don't we have a startup working on a technology that could recognize and alert lifeguards when swimmers are in danger? I bet a few cameras and some (admittedly advanced) machine learning could spot swimmers in need of assistance.

The first challenge is training data. 10-100 videos of people beginning to drown would be a good start. It also might be highly pool dependent. The different shapes, styles and attractions at the pool will all make a difference. Wave pool vs slope vs dropoff etc

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#193

Post by bronson » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:50 PM UTC

Some of these videos are pretty easy... One has a kid thrashing around right in the foreground.

I worry that this will have the opposite of the intended effect: "I spotted that kid 5 seconds before the lifeguard, this is easy!" close tab

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#194

Post by carbeewo » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:51 PM UTC

irishcoffee wrote: post #30

I would like to point out that any flotation device in a pool besides a life jacket is just asking for problems. I life-guarded for almost 10 years, the only way I would ever let anything that supported a human floating __besides__ an approved life jacket was if the pool was almost empty (such that the one person got my undivided attention) and if I knew the child to already be a strong swimmer. I highly encourage ev…

When I was a young child, my local pool allowed kids to play on large floating foam rafts (like this, but half the length: http://goo.gl/7Y4HbU). One day I decided to show off my underwater swimming skills to a girl I fancied. After a long swim underwater, I exhausted my breath and came to resurface for air, only to get caught under a stacked pile of 5 of these rafts, with kids standing on top like in that photo! I panicked and didn't know what was going on. I don't remember what happened next, but I am told my father was watching me closely and jumped into the pool, pushed the mats off of me (thus throwing like 4 kids off the rafts into the water) and saved me.

Parents were angry at him for throwing their kids into the water. None of them even realized I had almost died. Not that I blame them though, it would probably look pretty funny to see a grown man knock 4 kids off some mats into the pool haha.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#195

Post by gohrt » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:52 PM UTC

My favorite one was where the lifeguard asks a kid several times if he is OK, and the kid is fine, and then a few seconds later, the kid drowns, and the guard dives in.

But.... > There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind.

I saw lots of splashing in the rescued kids. Obviously no waving, though. How could someone wave? People wave and yell when they are trapped (as in a current), but not drowning yet.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#196

Post by Lawtonfogle » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:55 PM UTC

na85 wrote: post #167

northben wrote: post #34

Fellow HN readers: We're a smart bunch of hackers. Why don't we have a startup working on a technology that could recognize and alert lifeguards when swimmers are in danger? I bet a few cameras and some (admittedly advanced) machine learning could spot swimmers in need of assistance.

Most of the startup scene is about making a new JavaScript framework, not actually solving the hard problems.

Startups often follow the money. I would be hesitant to blame startups for what is really a far deeper and far more pervasive cultural problem.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#197

Post by gohrt » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:55 PM UTC

Popular 2013 article, was discussed on HN in the past:

> Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

> In 10 percent of drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying.

> Here’s what to look for

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/family/2013...

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#198

Post by trhway » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:56 PM UTC

janekm wrote: post #185

trhway wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

of course the googled above device wouldn't work as it is. It was only a random google just to gauge the scale of money such tech costs.

Costwise, I think that would be in the ball-park, if we can figure out what to monitor, and how, it could most likely be manufactured for I do work in this field (wireless vital signs monitoring) and unfortunately I don't know of any current technology that I would trust to monitor heart rate on a swimmer other than perhaps a chest strap (but not as a safety device either). For a point of reference, the Apple watch f…

just googled more :) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_oximetry - an adapted for waterpool conditions earlobe oximeter is probably what is needed here (with probably a transmitter/amplifier with battery in the wristband). But currently it is in the $100+ territory.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#199

Post by rbshadel » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 7:59 PM UTC

I don't remember how old I was, but I distinctly remember an occurrence at one of my first swim lessons. It was a group class, and we were all hanging on a rope taking turns swimming to the instructor a few feet away. I thought I heard my name called, so I tried to push off the rope to swim to them. Since it was a floating rope, I didn't get the momentum I was expecting, so before I knew it I was frantically trying to get to the rope, or the wall, or the instructor, or ANYthing I could grab onto. After what seemed like hours (but I'm sure was a few seconds) the lifeguard hopped in and grabbed me. It's been at least 20 years, and I'll never ever forget the panic - and to think it happened in the middle of a swim class with an instructor not 10 feet away. My dad always told me when we went on vacation to the beach to "respect the ocean", and if I ever have kids I will for sure expand that message to "respect the water" and pass it along - whether it's the atlantic or a kiddie pool.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#200

Post by jandrese » Tue, Jul 28, 2015, 8:00 PM UTC

irishcoffee wrote: post #30

I would like to point out that any flotation device in a pool besides a life jacket is just asking for problems. I life-guarded for almost 10 years, the only way I would ever let anything that supported a human floating __besides__ an approved life jacket was if the pool was almost empty (such that the one person got my undivided attention) and if I knew the child to already be a strong swimmer. I highly encourage ev…

As a kid I always hated water wings. Luckily my parents gave up on them pretty quick too. They made it hard to move your arms properly and didn't provide good floatation anyway.