Australia is taking shark detection matters seriously as the NSW government started testing Clever Buoy off Sydney's Bondi Beach.
Clever Buoy is a system that is said to detect marine animals and send signals to lifeguards on the shore via an app on their smartphones. Scientists and researchers may also be updated as real-time data may be shared via a Google+ platform.
Clever Buoy is designed by Western Australian company Shark Mitigation Systems and uses Optus Inmarsat satellite for data transfer to lifeguards and Optus 4G mobile network as backup data storage in case of satellite and network problems.
Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair says eight of the devices will be tested along the NSW coastline and two have already been placed at Lighthouse Beach and Sharpes Beach.
"This is a pre-commercial trial of new technology to detect sharks in Sydney," he says.
Facial Recognition Technology
No specific technology in the world has been able to detect sharks accurately. With this, the developers created a technique that particularly looks for sharks' unique movements to ensure accuracy.
The Clever Buoy software uses a technology similar to facial recognition such that it becomes more efficient with repeated correct detection. The more the device gets to know the details of sharks' swimming patterns, the higher its accuracy rate becomes.
Clever Buoy Setup
Clever Buoy will be placed in every beach. The setup goes like this: multiple sonar heads lying on the seabed are linked to one buoy. The number of sonar heads is based on the size and shape of the beach.
The sonar heads form a full perimeter by overlapping each one and placing it in an angled projection.
Clever Buoy then begins to work once the sonar head is attached to the seabed. The device detects objects that measure 2 meters or longer within a radius of 300 meters.
"The reason we made it two metres is because history of shark attacks around the world tells us that with anything less than two metres you're unlikely to die," says Craig Anderson, one of the founders of Shark Mitigation Systems.
Clever Buoy is part of NSW's $16 million shark strategy, which was rolled out on Oct. 25, 2015.
Aside from Clever Buoy, the government move also includes enhanced aerial surveillance of sharks, shark meshing programs and a 4G system that detects tagged sharks.
