世界首例：无人机救了两名落难游泳者

Two teenage boys were rescued by a brand new lifesaving drone in Australia while lifeguards were still training to use the device.

在澳大利亚，两名十几岁的男孩被一辆全新的救生无人机救起，而救生员还处在训练使用该装置的阶段。

The swimmers, aged 15-17, had got into difficulties off the coast of Lennox Head, New South Wales (NSW).

15-17岁的游泳者在新南威尔士州的Lennox Head海岸遇到困难。

A member of the public spotted them struggling in heavy surf about 700m (2,300ft) offshore.

一位民众发现他们在离岸大约700米（2300英尺）的巨浪中挣扎。

Lifesavers instantly sent the drone to drop an inflatable rescue pod, and the pair made their way safely to shore.

救生员立即将派无人机将可充气救生艇送去，两人因此安全抵达上岸。

John Barilaro, the state’s deputy premier, praised the rescue as historic. "Never before has a drone fitted with a flotation device been used to rescue swimmers like this," he said.

该州副总理约翰·巴里拉罗称赞说这次营救是历史性的。他说：“安装漂浮装置的无人机用来救助游泳者是史上第一次。”

Lifeguard supervisor Jai Sheridan was piloting the device when the alarm was raised. He described the experience as "unreal".

当警报升起时，救生员主管谢里登正在驾驶该装置。他把这种经历描述为“超现实”。

"The Little Ripper UAV certainly proved itself today, it is an amazingly efficient piece of lifesaving equipment and a delight to fly," he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

他告诉《悉尼先驱晨报》：“这架小开膛手无人机毫无疑问地证明了自己，这是一件令人惊叹的高效救生设备，也是令人愉快的飞行”。

Mr Sheridan said it took just a minute or two to launch the drone, fly it to the rescue site, and drop the pod.

谢里登先生说，花了一到两分钟的时间发送无人机，飞到救援地点，并放下救生艇。

Any other day, reaching the teenagers could easily have taken three times as long.

以前，救援这十几岁的青少年可能需要三倍那么长的时间。

The drone’s camera also recorded the whole rescue.

无人机的摄像头也记录了整个救援过程。

The NSW state government revealed in December that it had invested 430,000AUD (340,000USD / 247,000 Pounds) in a fleet of drones. While some are designed to spot sharks, others feature flotation pods, alarms and loudspeakers.

新南威尔士州政府12月份透露，已经在一支无人机队伍上投资了43万澳元（34万美元/ 24.7万英镑）。有些设计用来发现鲨鱼行踪，另一些则装有救生艇，警报器和扬声器。