Robotic shark-watcher to patrol California coast and feed lifeguards real-time data

A team from California State University, Long Beach’s Shark Lab has unveiled a semi-autonomous surveillance robot, nicknamed the Shark Surveillance Bot, to track great-white sharks near popular beaches. The floating device will patrol just offshore, using acoustic receivers to detect sharks fitted with tracking tags and gathering water samples to identify shark DNA. An attached drone can launch to capture aerial video, sending 360-degree footage and sensor data back to the lab via Wi-Fi.

Researchers hope to deploy the bot for up to a week at individual sites, giving lifeguards timely insight into shark activity. The initiative is funded by the Seaver Institute together with New York University’s Center of Robotics and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Officials anticipate a rise in shark sightings this summer as ocean temperatures climb, making the technology a potentially valuable tool for beach safety.