AI-Powered Baywatch Reboot: Dubai’s New Lifeguards Are High-Speed Bots and Flying Drones

DUBAI, UAE — Dubai Municipality has deployed an integrated technology-driven safety system across its public beaches, combining an aquatic rescue robot with aerial water-rescue drones. The rollout marks the first use of the U SAFE system in the Middle East and covers all five of Dubai Municipality’s public beaches: Jumeirah 1, Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 Night Beach, Umm Suqeim 1 Night Beach, and Al Mamzar. The Aquatic Rescue Robot At the centre of the system is the U SAFE aquatic rescue robot, a remote-controlled, self-propelled device developed and manufactured in Portugal by Noras Performance. The robot travels at speeds up to five times faster than a lifeguard swimming to a rescue, operates within a one-kilometre line of sight, and can tow up to 500 kilograms — enough to support multiple people in the water simultaneously. The device’s U-shaped hull and twin turbine design allow it to operate regardless of which side faces up, making it effective in rough seas and rocky coastal conditions where traditional rescue vessels and swimmers face significant risk.

The Water-Rescue Drone working alongside the aquatic robot is a water-rescue drone designed to enhance aerial monitoring and coordination. The drone can deploy rapidly, fly directly to the location of an incident, and land on the water’s surface to provide immediate buoyancy support to swimmers in distress. The drone carries a live-feed camera that streams real-time visuals to lifeguard teams on shore, enabling faster incident detection, more accurate risk assessment, and better-coordinated rescue operations across wide stretches of coastline. An Integrated Response Model Together, the robot and drone operate as part of a unified safety framework supported by trained lifeguard teams, continuous beach monitoring, and centralised control systems.

The combination of air and water-based rescue capability allows Dubai Municipality to respond more quickly during complex or time-critical incidents, while reducing physical risk to human lifeguards during the initial rescue phase. The deployment represents a shift from reactive to proactive coastal safety management. Beach drownings remain a persistent public safety challenge across the Gulf, where year-round coastal activity and a large transient visitor population place continuous pressure on lifeguard teams. A Decade of Coastal Safety Innovation Today’s deployment builds on a long-term programme of coastal safety investment by Dubai Municipality. As far back as 2016, Dubai Municipality was piloting drone-based rescue technology, with plans to deploy lifebuoy-dropping drones across public beaches. Those early systems could reach 300 metres in five to six seconds, cover up to seven square kilometres, and use thermal cameras to locate swimmers at night. Nearly a decade on, the latest deployment of the U SAFE robot and rescue drones marks a significant advance in the options available to lifeguard and rescue teams.

Whenever the sun sets, the sensors wake up. Dubai’s new AI-powered rescue fleet will be patrolling Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1, and soon Mamzar beach, ensuring ‘Night Swimming’ doesn’t mean ‘High Risk.’

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