Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Two bright orange autonomous sail drones are floating on Lake Erie right now, part of a new U.S. Coast Guard program.
The drones launched in May for the first time in the Great Lakes and are equipped with 360-degree cameras.
The U.S. Coast Guard said they serve a variety of functions, which include helping with search & rescues, environmental spills and law enforcement activities.
Cameras are monitored 24/7 by U.S. Coast Guard staff, who can also manually move the drones when necessary. But the footage isn’t recorded, officials say.
“The drones themselves are not meant to surveil or anything like that. They’re just out there for awareness,” said Lt. Junior Grade Samuel Rodriguez Garcia with the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Think of them as mobile cameras that kind of help us gain a better insight into what’s going on live on scene.”
Both U.S. and Canadian agencies, including law enforcement, could have access to the drone technology after going through the proper channels, according to Garcia.
“Helping secure the border and protect and prevent cross-border criminality,” Garcia said is one of the drone’s functions.
Although the Canadian Coast Guard tells CBC News that it has no involvement with the drone sail program in the U.S., a spokesperson said the two agencies work closely together.
“The partnership between the Canadian Coast Guard and United States Coast Guard is critical to maintaining and advancing maritime security priorities and ensuring robust collaboration across different levels of government …,” said Craig Macartney, spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Both coast guards are a part of the Great Lakes marine security operation, which operates 24/7, and includes other law enforcement agencies at all levels of government.
The sail drones stay “well within the U.S.” waters on the Great Lakes, according to Garcia.
“They are equipped with collision prevention, so they will self-navigate away from vessels,” said Garcia.
Still, he recommends boaters stay roughly 100-metres away from the sail drones.
It’s also a seasonal initiative as the drones are pulled from the water once ice starts to form on the water.
