The month of July is beach season for Japan. Swimmers, sunbathers, and surfers start flocking to beaches, and as such, lifeguards are on the watch to keep beachgoers safe.
However, one beach along the Pacific coast uses artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that people enjoy their time on the beach without any harmful incidents.
Detecting Rip Currents
According to The Mainichi, authorities in Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, have used an AI system that will detect rip currents -which are responsible for 60% of drowning deaths - and issue an alarm to lifeguards and swimmers nearby.
The Yuigahama Beach in the town of Kamakura is a well-known surfing location and was publicly opened on Friday, July 1, following two years of prohibitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening is anticipated to draw big crowds amid what the weather service expects would be an extremely hot summer.
Rip current data was gathered over the course of six months in the winter of 2021 by specialists at the Japan Lifesaving Association and Chuo University in Tokyo to ensure the AI system functioned, according to the Mainichi.
The lifesaving association said that a web camera installed on a pole could spot rip currents and anyone swimming in their proximity while alerting a lifeguard right away through a smartwatch.
According to The Mainichi, photographs were also employed to create a warning system that provides government officials real-time data about swimmers following a tsunami.
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"Barrier-free, Safe, and Eco-friendly"
The local initiative to combat rip currents is a part of a larger effort to revitalize the beach after it was closed by the pandemic and promote the region's environmental credentials. In the prefecture, there are roughly 20 beaches that have been prohibited for the previous two summers, and among those beaches is Yuigahama.
A wheelchair-accessible slope has also been erected in an effort to provide a barrier-free beach for those with disabilities. This allows users to access the sand safely.
Additionally, Yuigahama's bars and restaurants have reportedly been the first in Japan to utilize biodegradable forks and spoons.
The president of the Yuigahama Beach Business Association, Motohide Masuda, told the Mainichi that his organization was following a proactive, "barrier-free, safe, and eco-friendly" strategy to promote a "modern Yuigahama."
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
