POOL SAFETY WITH AI

April showers bring May flowers… but May is significant for a reason that doesn't involve tulips and poppies; it brings forth the resounding alarm of National Water Safety Month. 

Safety isn’t seasonal, and dedicating time to spreading awareness and education about water safety can save lives. In his state proclamation recognizing National Water Safety Month, Governor Gavin Newsom attributes drowning as a leading cause of injury-related deaths among California children ages four and under, with an average of more than 52 new deaths per year.

One layer of protection in drowning prevention is the use of alarms.

Alarms are vital to pool safety because they can alert an adult when a barrier has been breached. Ideally, the child will not make it to the water, but if it should come to that, alarms can be the last line of defense to come to the aid of the child quicker. In many cases, drowning is silent and often occurs during non-swim time. These shockingly brief lapses in parent or adult supervision can result in tragedy; a matter of seconds can make all the difference.

At J Designs Pool and Spa, have 15 years of educating our customers on the best protective enhancements to ensure the highest level of water safety. We are not just pool advocates, we champion our customers’ safety. As the world dives deeper into the technology age, we are vigilant about educating customers about what products are available and their practical applications within their pools. 

This article will unpack one vital layer of protection in water safety: alarms with the added safety barrier of artificial intelligence.

The Critical Problem with Traditional Pool Alarms:

False alarm (literally).

Traditional pool alarms are mere camera and motion sensors that don’t have the more sophisticated software that can detect and differentiate specific sources of motion. Since they sense any motion, they’ll incessantly alert homeowners of birds flying on their property, beach balls floating in the pool, and tree branches moving against the wind. Talk about a hairpin trigger… yikes!

This problem with traditional pool alarms leads to so many false alarms that the protective mechanism itself becomes useless because the homeowner will either remove it altogether or become numb to the noise. 

Either scenario can spiral into a preventable tragedy if a parent, guardian, or adult is not made aware in time that a toddler or child has stumbled into the pool area.

THE CAMEREYE DIFFERENCE: DETECTING DISTRESS

No “cry-wolf” situations here!

CamerEye, unlike traditional pool alarms, decreases “false alarm” incidents due to its ability to rule out pool toys, birds, large debris, and other nonhuman items.

Photo courtesy of CamerEye

1. HOW CAMEREYE WORKS

CamerEye is an AI camera-based product that creates a 24/7 safety and security ecosystem through AI-Powered overhead cameras. Through these cameras, this alarm system can differentiate between sources and types of movements; namely, distress or near-drowning behavior. 

An innovative saving grace in the pool industry, it's the world’s first AI-vision and camera-based pool alarm system to monitor, detect, and alert homeowners of wanted objects (whomever you’re interested in getting alerts for, i.e. toddlers, children, adults).

• MONITOR

• From the overhead camera, a live stream is created to the smart hub and then to your phone.

• • You can continuously monitor and analyze for human activity in or around the pool 24/7/365.

• DETECT

Through highly trained and adaptive AI vision, CamerEye detects a person in or around the pool.

• This detection can differentiate between someone just playing around in the water or swimming around, and early water distress or near-drowning behavior.

• This early-stage detection is made possible by creating a virtual Smart Fence around a pool, which then sends distinct alerts for both people and pets crossing the Smart Fence perimeter.
  

   

In an article penned in The San Diego Business Journal, the founder of CamerEye makes the distinction that video systems that detect people already existed, but only for people on dry land. He states:

“‘But there was nothing out there that can reliably detect people when they’re in the water because the body is distorted. It’s a completely different ballgame when people are in the water,’” he said, adding that detecting people and pets in water is where most of CamerEye’s value and IP is.”

• ALERT & ALARM
  
  
  • Alerts are distinguished from alarms. Alerts notify the user of unauthorized access to the pool area, while alarms notify users of the need for immediate action when distress behavior in the pool has been detected.

• • Alerts and alarms can be received on multiple platforms: the smart hub, through the external siren, and on the app.

2. ASTM-COMPLIANCE

California requires all new homes with pools to have at least one ASTM-compliant alarm to pass inspection for a new build or an escrow transaction. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is an organization that publishes production and testing standards for various industries.

The organization’s standards for pool alarms vary by state, but CamerEye’s AI safety system is the first and only camera-based pool alarm to be fully ASTM F2208-08 approved and certified. Additionally, it’s the only Type C perimeter pool alarm that detects people and optionally pets before they enter the water. Its full ASTM F2208 compliance makes it the only system available that offers comprehensive perimeter and in-pool protection. 

“Why do these codes have to do with me and my new pool?” you think to yourself. Excellent question!

CamereEye is approved to replace at least one of the following three requirements mandated by the City of LA: floating pool alarms, door alarms, or in-pool splash alarms. For more specific information on ASTM-compliance alarms, check out the barrier code and inspection requirements for your city or state.

3. PET DETECTION

We can’t forget our furry family members! 

CamerEye’s AI-powered system also monitors, detects, and alerts you when your pets are around and in the pool. As a result, your sweet fur babies are safe from falling into the water and being exposed to harmful pool chemicals.

The pet safety system has distinct pet notifications that sound different from human alerts, ensuring your peace of mind as you keep an “eye” on all of your loved ones (species notwithstanding).

MOVING FORWARD: YOUR POOL SAFETY IS INTELLIGENT, (NOT) ARTIFICIAL

Now that you’ve read this article, you are empowered with the most relevant information about AI-powered pool safety alarms and their effectiveness as a drowning-prevention measure. 

Drowning and pool-related accidents are a risk, but they’re a risk that can be mitigated if proper steps are taken. 

At J Designs Pool and Spa, are fervent pro-safety advocates and have spent over 15 years educating our customers on best safety practices for their pool and spa. Nevertheless, since May is National Water Safety Month, we wanted to take this moment to inform our customers about advancements in AI that can further secure pool safety. 

We stay atop advanced water safety technology to educate customers and ensure their peace of mind as they confidently make the most informed decisions for their families.

If you’d like to discuss more safety features for your pool and spa project, please contact us and schedule a consultation.

Interested in learning more about proactive water safeguards but not yet ready to dive into a consultation? No problem at all; pool safety and knowledge are our forte! Check out these related articles to find out more about how pool safety factors into the design and construction process:

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW SWIMMING POOLS IN CALIFORNIA

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION