Emergency Integrated Lifesaving LanYard (EMILY) was originally designed to track whale migration patterns. Then her inventors, Tony Mulligan and Bob Lautrup, decided to take her capabilities one step further, turning her drone-powered intelligence into an un-crewed vehicle that could rescue people in all types of water conditions. Her transition into a robotic lifesaving platform has allowed for first responders to stabilise harrowing situations by sending out EMILY to swimmers in distress.

“The technology is similar to UAVs and is powered by a LIPO 5500 battery for an environmentally safe solution, completely waterproof and in a patented design,” says Paige Day, sales director, Hydronalix. “EMILYs are now in service in more than 33 countries, including the United States, and are continuously evolving.”