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Detachable camera from the Westpac Little Ripper UAV
Detachable camera from the Westpac Little Ripper UAV

Detachable camera from the Westpac Little Ripper UAV

Date2018
Object number00055702
NameCamera
MediumCarbon Fibre and Alloy
DimensionsOverall (camera): 125 × 90 × 105 mm, 25 g
Overall (box): 125 × 145 × 175 mm, 40 g
Copyright© The Ripper Group
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum gift of The Ripper Group
DescriptionDetachable camera manufactured by DJI that is part of the Westpac Little Ripper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (00055701). The camera has a white egg shaped body attached to a black moveable arm.HistoryThis UAV is an exemplar for adaptive technologies, with success in its primary function (rescue operations) yet modifiable for additional purposes such as shark and croc- spotting thermal imaging of wildlife, and as a beach and coastal landscape monitoring system. Much of the Little Ripper UAVs' success is reliant on the visual technology supplied by this attachable camera. The video transmission from the camera is processed by cloud analytics, putting a 93% accuracy of marine life detection over the video stream instead of 12-17% accuracy of detection from the standard human eye. The delay from this on board camera back to the pilot’s screen on the ground has been reduced so the pilot sees what the video captures via AI in the cloud almost immediately. This in-sync vision ensures assistance and rescue efforts, such as the deployment of the pods from the UAV, are activated quickly in situations where even the slightest delay can mean the difference between life and death. SignificanceThe Westpac Little Ripper Lifesaver UAV has had significant impact on Surf Life Saving operations since its deployment in NSW Department of Primary Industry- funded trials in early 2018. During those trials, it was used to perform the first aerial drone rescue at sea.

The Westpac Little Ripper Lifesaver is a device that significantly affects future operations and capabilities of surf rescue, as well as coastal management and monitoring in Australia.