Malibu surf beaches may one day have robot life guards if 'Emily' and her inventor have their way. Emily or Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard has been patrolling Malibu's Zuma Beach with her inventor Tony Mulligan.
He claims that she can swim about 12 times faster than the human lifeguards. She uses a sonar system that builds 3 dimensional maps of surrounding water currents to identify noises associated with swimmers in trouble. Emily was conceived in 2009.
CNN Tech: A Look at EMILY the Lifeguard
Human life guards at the beach remain unimpressed with Emily. The robot is a four foot long remote controlled robotic buoy and does not look like a humanoid robot. The robot reaches the swimmer and then the swimmer must climb on to be rescued.
The president of the US Lifesaving Association B. Chris Brewster said that the inventor is trying to solve a problem that does not coincide with reality.
The robot will be of no use to an unconscious swimmer or surfer.