Updated: Sonar_EMILY rescue robot incorporates Humminbird® sonar to find drowning victims

A state-of-the-art portable rescue craft is bringing more assistance to marine rescue teams. The Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard or EMILY, developed by Hydronalix, was first used to help lifeguards get to distressed swimmers faster than able-bodied first responders.

Since then, EMILY has been deployed by lifeguards, navies, and coast guards worldwide. The Center for Robot Search and Rescue (CRASAR) and a team of researchers at Texas A&M recently tested EMILY successfully with the Italian Coast Guard in a refugee rescue scenario. Now, the robust four-foot cylindrical lifejacket-come-jet-ski has an essential role to play in Law Enforcement marine rescue operations—particularly due to its new sonar feature.

The radio-remote-controlled, battery-operated unit can speed up to 22 miles per hour through surf. With the addition of Humminbird^® sonar, EMILY can enhance drowning victim searches. The speed at which EMILY finds the victim could be instrumental to successful resuscitation.

“I think adding the Humminbird sonar to the EMILY rescue craft is a fantastic opportunity for both Hydronalix and Humminbird,” says Vince Capone, owner of Black Laser Learning. This company trains Law Enforcement, first responders and military customers on how to use different kinds of sonars. “It brings two very unique capabilities together in a way that provides rescue personnel

with distinct advantages in a shallow and calm underwater search scenario.” 

EMILY’s portability is a huge time-saving benefit. It allows the search team the ability to quickly and easily deploy the rescue robot at a moment’s notice, no matter the location. EMILY can get into waters that a larger boat may not easily access and maneuver around piers or submerged logs and other obstructions. Even when working in a canal location beside a road, EMILY can be used – no need to trailer a boat to a location. In addition, due to its Kevlar-reinforced composite hull, EMILY can be dropped from a helicopter or launched from a boat without damage.

Once the search area for a drowning victim is identified, EMILY can quickly go to work. A ground station the size of a small suitcase is all that’s required to operate it. Simply throw EMILY into the water and start searching.

EMILY’s Humminbird^® sonar data quality is comparable to any surface search vessel. The sonar data is transmitted back to the ground station and the operator can watch the sonar data as it appears on the ground station. The data is recorded and stored with GPS information to generate a map of the search area.

EMILY is a two-person operation; one person drives EMILY using remote control, while the other—an experienced Humminbird® sonar operator—operates the sonar. In the near future, EMILY will be able to program survey lines into the system and automatically run them, further refining its application to marine search and rescue field operations.

“Looking forward to newer versions with more autonomy and the higher frequency Humminbird integrated into the EMILY package,” says Capone.

Combining the EMILY rescue capabilities with the Humminbird sonar increases any team’s search and rescue operations exponentially.

UPDATE:

March 7 & 8 Black Laser Learning’s Vince Capone provided advanced Humminbird^® sonar training for the Los Angeles County Life Guards. The sonar was mounted on the remote-controlled Sonar_EMILY rescue craft. The team already had extensive experience with the EMILY as a recuse asset, but now equipped with the Humminbird® sonar, the feisty robot had an increased capability. ” Combining the LA Life Guards EMILY experience with Black Laser Learning’s sonar experience and with factory support from Hydronalix, we were able to develop new tactics and procedures on how to best deploy Sonar_EMILY,” said Vince Capone.

While new autonomy will allow Sonar_EMILY to increase its effectiveness in open water search applications, the highly maneuverable robot has an immediate advantage around piers, harbors, and obstructions that would hinder a more traditional sonar search. LA Life Guards practiced locating a simulated drowning victim in the confined space of the harbor piers. The effort resulted in modifying tactics so the teams became very proficient at searching in and around complex dock areas.

All and all a great joint training exercise.