Scubaism

SHARK patrols on Adelaide’s beaches could be increased for less money using a new unmanned aircraft.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has been designed by a mechanical engineering team at the University of Adelaide, and researchers believe the vehicle could replace manned aerial flights that keep watch for sharks during summer months.

Project member and aeronautical engineering student Jonathan Bannister said the prototype has taken nine months to design and build, but said that production could be sped up to meet demand.

The vehicle, which has wings 2m in diameter, a 1.5m fuselage, and weighs just 10 kilos, can operate for up to an hour and a half on batteries. The UAV can send live streaming video from a 10km radius back to a central station, where footage can be monitored for the presence of sharks.

“We think it can operate at somewhere between $50 and $100 a day,” Mr Banister said. “You could have eight of these running, one for every one of Adelaide’s main beaches, for much less than the $1200 a day it takes for a manned flight.”