Smart French Drones Save Drowning Victims

French authorities are testing AI-equipped drones to monitor individuals at risk of drowning and deploy lifebuoys when necessary, amid a rise in drowning incidents following three consecutive heatwaves since May.

A drone hovering just steps from Valescure Beach in southern France broadcasts the message: “If you are in danger, we will throw you a lifebuoy.”

According to a report published today by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), 274 people drowned in the sea, rivers, or private pools over a period of two and a half months, while other non-fatal drowning cases have resulted in serious health consequences with potentially long-term effects.

Near Béziers, on the Mediterranean coast, Instadron, a company specializing in drone operations in industrial environments, is seeking to expand its activities to include monitoring swimming areas. To this end, the company has received support from two local entities funding the ongoing tests.

These tests are expected to secure the necessary licenses within a month, paving the way for full implementation of the project by summer 2027.

Cédric Boutela, founder of Instadron, told AFP, “Drone-deployed lifebuoys have been used for five years in the Landes region, but the process was manual. We are providing a fully automated system.”

Boutela, a former judicial police officer turned entrepreneur, explained that the drone’s mission is “to cover 2.5 kilometers of beach by flying behind the breakwaters, parallel to the shore, without hovering over swimmers, but with its cameras directed toward them, while avoiding filming people on the beach.”

He added, “If the drone detects unusual behavior, such as a person floating almost vertically, it approaches them and sends an audio message to inform them that someone is present. If necessary, it drops a lifebuoy that automatically inflates upon contact with water.”