Munich (dpa / lby) - Bavaria's water rescue service is increasingly relying on underwater drones. A spokeswoman for the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) told the German Press Agency that twelve devices are currently in use in the Free State. "The numbers are constantly increasing." A wide variety of devices are in stock. "From very small models to drones with a gripper arm."
One use case is the search for missing persons. First, a sonar device mounted on a lifeboat scans the water, the spokeswoman explained. "If the sonar works, the underwater drone can be used, which can then examine and search the object or person at close range." The drones are particularly suitable for standing water or rivers with very low flow rates. In addition, the visibility under water must be good, because "simple underwater drones only work with a camera and without a sonar system for the graphic representation of the environment".
The drones cannot replace rescue divers, emphasized the BRK. But you can relieve and supplement these. Firstly, a drone can stay under water longer and continue searching immediately after changing the battery. And secondly, the maximum operating depth for divers is limited to 30 meters - the drone can dive deeper.
In addition to drones under the water surface, the water rescue service also has classic flying drones - according to the BRK, a number in the lower two-digit range is in use. "In the Bavarian Red Cross, however, there are more than a hundred such drones," said the spokeswoman. "These can also be alerted to support the Bavarian water rescue service." Missing people could also be searched for with the drones, and the rescue workers also get a better overview of deployment sites through the aerial photographs.
