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Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
91–100 of 121 posts
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#92Number one criterion for finding a good beach to swim: A prominent sign saying "Swim at your own risk: No lifeguard on duty."
Indeed. The Lake Huron beach I frequent has no life guard. Also, no sign.
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
How about a flying drone that drops an inflatable from a few meters above the struggling swimmer?
How about using a cheap floating platform? One with a more efficient operating mode, larger payload capacity, less moving parts, safe failure modes...
Honestly the drone probably wins in all those categories today and the drone doesn't have the problem of needing to navigate choppy water, has a bird's eye view, and can't accidentally slam into the swimmer on a bad wave.
And you can buy them off the shelf, hell you can buy a drone right now today that can physically lift the person out of the ocean.
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem is that once it is widely accepted that death is inevitable, that number will jump up from 45.
No it won't. This isn't like designing better brakes or something. Humans have free will and shit happens.
Sure it will. Not immediately but gradually over time. If we decide it isn't worthwhile to prevent drowning deaths, educational and informational programs will go away. Novices won't fully understand the risks. Programs like my lakeside park has where free life jackets are available to borrow will disappear. People who might have considered swim lessons won't bother.
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
> For seven years now, the city of nearly 60,000 people has reported resounding success: Not a single automobile occupant, bicyclist or pedestrian has died in a traffic crash since January 2017, elevating Hoboken as a national model for roadway safety. https://apnews.com/article/hoboken-zero-traffic-deaths-dayli...
I like the idea of the curb bump-outs. Intersections where you cannot see the cross traffic are definitely higher risk. > Mike McGinn, the mayor at the time, said he wanted to recalibrate the public’s expectation of road safety to make it more akin to their thoughts on airplane safety, where no fatality is considered acceptable. That isn't true. There is an FAA standard.
No. The standard is zero. That's why the FAA investigates every crash or safety incident no matter how small. Realistically, the number will never be zero but if we don't put in the effort to improve constantly, safety will stagnate.
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Luckily none of the narrative here is about zero drownings. > Or more precisely, people will express targeting zero drowning, but they're not making the logical jump you're pointing at. Um, compare this comment, left hours before yours: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40779917 > Fewer and fewer places to swim, more and more places just made everything a wading pool or a splash park to reduce liability, and aft…
I would never own a swimming pool due to the ginormous sums in liability judgments. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/steilacoom-to-pay-... https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/jury-awards-13-mil...
I can't read the first article, but judging from the second:
> The sidewalk is “perennially covered in water and algae,” according to the complaint. Other Queen Anne residents testified in court that they had also fallen at this location.
It reads to me like the sidewalk was a public danger, the building owners were under the hook to maintain it but never cared, until literally getting sued.
What am I missing ?
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#97If it's $12k and requires an operator this seems more of a band-aid than anything. Where are the operators going to come from? And for a lot of places the operator + device probably pays for 3 lifeguards or swim instructors. Nothing is going to get better until we start trying to get out of the hole and improve the average person's ability to swim and make decisions in open water. I used to be a lifeguard and swim in…
Using the term "robot", which gives the impression of some kind of automation here, is the disconnect here I think. In the end the operator is probably just using a remote from the beach side. Looking at the actual demonstration of it, it makes some sense to me. Maybe not not at $12k plus some kind of support contract with it, but it makes some sense. A couple of things to think about: One big part about trying to sa…
Perhaps some kind of precision artillery/guided rocket would work as well. If you just need to get floatation device to swimmer, going through the air might work well (if the wind isn't strong, of course).
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#98If it's $12k and requires an operator this seems more of a band-aid than anything. Where are the operators going to come from? And for a lot of places the operator + device probably pays for 3 lifeguards or swim instructors. Nothing is going to get better until we start trying to get out of the hole and improve the average person's ability to swim and make decisions in open water. I used to be a lifeguard and swim in…
>> Nothing is going to get better until we start trying to get out of the hole and improve the average person's ability to swim and make decisions in open water. Couldn't agree more. I remember growing up and my parents required myself and my brothers to take swim lessons all the way through junior lifesaving course which was the last course the city offered and you had to pass all the lower classes in order to get i…
Goldfish has been doing this a lot in the Seattle area, but we only get 30 minutes and it is often 4 kids. Our YMCAs offer classes as well, but it is still 30 minutes with a few more kids, so not much different.
The pandemic really pulled a number on delaying swim lessons, so there is a huge backlog along with a lot of kids who aren't catching up yet. My 7 year old is afraid to do water slides still, and he has been in class for about 9 months now. I know we got to that level more quickly when I was a kid.
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
How about a flying drone that drops an inflatable from a few meters above the struggling swimmer?
These exist and have been saving lives for at least 6 years: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/lifegua...
Costs 20x as much as this robot. It does have the advantage of being used successfully once.
Re: Robots on Lake Michigan beaches to prevent drownings
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
Using the term "robot", which gives the impression of some kind of automation here, is the disconnect here I think. In the end the operator is probably just using a remote from the beach side. Looking at the actual demonstration of it, it makes some sense to me. Maybe not not at $12k plus some kind of support contract with it, but it makes some sense. A couple of things to think about: One big part about trying to sa…
Perhaps some kind of precision artillery/guided rocket would work as well. If you just need to get floatation device to swimmer, going through the air might work well (if the wind isn't strong, of course).
For 12k, just attach a flotation device to a big octa-drone and drop it from the air. Then you can stay on station and use the camera to guide rescuers to the person. You could probably even drag a line out to someone attached a flotation device and reel them in.