New tech device prevents shark attacks

An ingenious system meant to prevent and decrease shark attacks is about to enter the market.

The Clever Buoy is a device equipped with sonar and satellite-based warning technology which detects motion in the water and recognizes the specific movements of a shark approaching the beach.

The device then sends a signal to a satellite which, in turn, activates a warning light in the lifeguard's guard tower.

'The Clever Buoy is going to be something that is going to be great for the lifeguards with the technology. We’ll know when something comes through. It’ll notify us in the tower and then we’ll be able to see what it is actually that’s come through into the beach. We’ll know whether to put the alarm on or whether just to send the jet ski out to check out the condition,' said chief lifeguard, Bruce Hopkins.

With over 200 unprovoked shark attacks in Australia during the last two decades, the last fatality being three months ago, such a device could make a crucial difference for surfers, tourists and other people on Australia's beaches.

Co-founder of the Clever Buoy Hamish Jolly explains: 'The testing found two really important things. The first is that we can actually see a shark using sonar which historically has been quite difficult to do. The second is that we are able to pick up the specific characteristics of the way a shark swims which gives us the opportunity to detect sharks as opposed to other objects in the water.'