Goa beaches to get trained dogs, two AI-powered systems for safety, rescue operations

Goa beaches will get trained dogs to spot and rescue people in distress and locate missing children, an official of an agency tasked with lifesaving operations in the coastal state said on Friday.

A team of 11 dogs, called the paw squad, is being trained for these works, and the initiative is the first of its kind in Asia, the Drishti Marine official said in the presence of state tourism minister Rohan Khaunte.

“They are being trained to spot and rescue victims in distress, search and rescue in rocky areas and locate missing children at the beaches. The paw squad is being trained by canine expert Arjun Shawn Moitra and will be deployed first at high-density beaches,” the spokesperson said.

Hailing the initiative, Khaunte said new technologies and innovations have to deployed routinely for such works.

The Drishti Marine spokesperson said it was giving final touches to two Artificial Intelligence platforms, Aurus and Triton, to assist lifesavers at beaches.

“Aurus is a self-driving robot and the AI-powered monitoring system, Triton, will augment life-saving capabilities along Goas beaches. Both systems can monitor the surroundings, assess risks and share real-time information to help on-duty lifesavers respond faster, the spokesperson said.

“Aurus is currently deployed as a pilot project at Miramar Beach in North Goa for assistance in beach closure, while Triton, still in testing mode, has been deployed at Baina, Velsao, Benaulim, Galgibag beaches in South Goa and Morjim in North Goa,” he added.

The plan is to roll out 100 Triton units and 10 Aurus units on the beaches of the state in the coming months, Drishti Marine Operations Manager Navin Awasthi said.

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