In a significant boost to its water rescue and recovery capabilities, the Goa Fire and Emergency Services (FES) has procured two advanced under-water handheld scanner devices at a cost of approximately Rs 21 lakh. Speaking to O Heraldo, a senior FES officer said the newly acquired devices use Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) technology integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in the detection and recovery of drowned human bodies, even in conditions of poor underwater visibility.
The handheld scanners are designed to accurately locate drowned victims in fresh as well as polluted water bodies. With Al-assisted detection, the device can differentiate between human bodies and other submerged objects such as vehicles or debris. For ease of identification, human bodies are marked with a CROSS “X”, while non-human objects are marked with a CIRCLE “O” on the display screen. The scanner is light-weight and portable, weighing less than 1.4 kg, making it suitable for single-person operation.
