As Southern California prepares to host the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, scientists at California State University, Long Beach are developing technology to keep athletes and beachgoers safe from sharks.
Shark Monitoring Technology
The Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach is testing a new autonomous surveillance drone that could patrol Southern California waters and send real-time shark alerts to lifeguards. The autonomous vessel, about 10 feet long with the width of a paddle board, is designed to go out into the ocean and surveil for sharks.
The robotic craft can patrol the water on its own, powered by solar, to scan for tagged sharks below the surface while transmitting real-time updates to lifeguards on the beach. The Shark Lab, which has tagged hundreds of juvenile white sharks, is using aerial drones to spot sharks from above while monitoring underwater listening stations along the California coast.
By 2028, the data it has collected could help officials monitor Olympic competition venues — from open-water swimming in Long Beach to surfing events in Orange County. The goal is to build on the shark-monitoring technology, not just developing it through the Olympics.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
