AquaEye

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AquaEye is the world's first wearable sonar device with AI, designed to locate human bodies underwater for search and rescue operations. 50-meter range, works in poor visibility and polluted water.

Data & Analytics

AI Models & Infrastructure

About

AquaEye is a pioneering underwater detection device developed by VodaSafe that fuses advanced sonar hardware with onboard artificial intelligence to transform water rescue and recovery operations. As the world's first wearable sonar device equipped with AI specifically trained to identify human bodies, it addresses one of the most critical challenges in aquatic emergencies: locating victims in conditions where optical visibility is zero. The device is lightweight and highly portable, enabling fast deployment at rescue scenes without specialized infrastructure. Operation requires no complex setup — the user submerges the AquaEye, pulls the trigger to fire a sonar pulse across up to 50 meters, then releases the trigger. The AI immediately processes the returning echo data, displaying results on an integrated monitor. Detected objects are marked as 'O' for a point of interest or 'X' for a likely human body. By performing overlapping cross-reference scans, rescuers can precisely triangulate a victim's position. The beam operates at a 38-degree angle. Submerged 5–10 cm, it scans to 5 meters depth across 50 meters of range. At its maximum depth rating of 5 meters, it scans to 10 meters depth. Pointed straight down from the surface, it can reach 50 meters depth. AquaEye accelerates rescues and recoveries, increases the safety of dive teams by reducing blind searches in dangerous water, and lowers overall resource consumption per mission. It is actively deployed by fire departments, coast guards, lifeguards, law enforcement, civil aid agencies, and water rescue teams around the world.

Key Features

AI-Powered Human Body Detection: Onboard AI analyzes sonar echo data to identify patterns consistent with a human body, marking results as 'O' (object of interest) or 'X' (likely human) on the monitor.
50-Meter Sonar Range: Emits directional sonar pulses covering up to 50 meters in range with a 38-degree beam angle, enabling broad underwater scanning from a single surface position.
Wearable & Rapidly Deployable: Lightweight, handheld form factor allows first responders to begin scanning within seconds of arriving at a water rescue scene, with no complex setup required.
Effective in Zero-Visibility Water: Sonar-based detection works in murky, turbid, or heavily polluted water where cameras and optical tools completely fail.
Cross-Reference Scanning for Pinpoint Accuracy: Multiple overlapping scans from different angles allow rescue teams to triangulate and precisely locate a victim's position underwater.

Use Cases

Fire department water rescue operations locating drowning victims in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, or flooded urban environments
Recovery missions in polluted, turbid, or otherwise low-visibility bodies of water where optical search is impossible
Lifeguard and coast guard rapid-response operations for locating missing swimmers in open water
Law enforcement underwater searches for missing persons or submerged evidence in criminal investigations
Disaster response and civil aid operations searching for victims following floods, capsized vessels, or maritime accidents

Pros

First-of-Its-Kind Capability: The only wearable sonar device with AI trained specifically to detect human bodies underwater, providing a unique tactical advantage for rescue operations.
Dramatically Faster Rescues: Locates potential victims within seconds compared to slow, resource-intensive traditional underwater search methods, improving survival outcomes.
Enhances Rescuer Safety: Reduces the need for divers to search blindly in hazardous, low-visibility conditions, lowering the risk to rescue personnel.
Versatile Depth Coverage: Scans from shallow surface depths down to 50 meters when aimed straight down, covering a wide range of real-world rescue scenarios.

Cons

Physical Hardware Investment: As a specialized piece of rescue hardware, AquaEye requires procurement, storage, maintenance, and operator training — unlike software-based tools with instant deployment.
Range Limitations in Large Bodies of Water: The 50-meter maximum scanning range may require multiple repositioning steps to adequately cover large lakes, rivers, or open-water areas.
Institutional Pricing: As professional-grade search and rescue hardware with advanced AI capabilities, the device is priced for organizations and agencies rather than individual consumers.

Frequently Asked Questions

AquaEye emits a sonar pulse and captures the returning echo. Its onboard AI then analyzes the echo signature and compares it against patterns associated with human bodies. The monitor displays 'O' for a general object of interest and 'X' for a target that closely matches a human body, allowing rescuers to quickly triage findings.

AquaEye scans up to 50 meters in horizontal range. When submerged 5–10 cm from the surface, it scans to 5 meters depth. At its maximum operational depth of 5 meters, it scans to 10 meters depth. When pointed straight down from the surface, it can scan to a depth of 50 meters.

Yes. Because AquaEye uses sonar rather than optical cameras, it is fully effective in conditions of near-zero visibility — including turbid, murky, or heavily polluted water — where traditional visual search methods are completely ineffective.

AquaEye is deployed by fire departments, lifeguards, coast guards, law enforcement agencies, civil aid organizations, and professional search and rescue teams for water rescue and victim recovery missions.

AquaEye is designed for rapid, intuitive operation. The rescuer submerges the device, pulls the trigger to begin scanning, then releases it. The AI automatically processes the echo data and displays findings on the monitor in seconds — no specialized sonar expertise is required.