Disaster responseRobotic Lifeguard EMILY Proves Itself in the Wake of Hurricane Dorian

Published 17 October 2019

The responders who came to the rescue a day after Hurricane Dorian finished lashing Abaco Island in the Bahamas had a tool to get ashore, so they could provide medical care and supplies to stricken islanders. It was EMILY the robotic lifeguard—officially known as the Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard—a remote-controlled unmanned surface vehicle that has proven its mettle saving imperiled swimmers during natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

Last month—a day after Hurricane Dorian finished lashing Abaco Island in the Bahamas—a chaotic scene greeted the first disaster responders arriving at the island’s Marsh Harbor.

On land, homes sat in ruins, palm trees lay uprooted, and yachts and sailboats were strewn about like toys. In the harbor itself, vessels were capsized or sunk—and telephone poles, cars, house roofs and other underwater debris blocked the disaster-relief ship from sailing to the main pier.  

But the responders had a tool to get ashore, so they could provide medical care and supplies to stricken islanders. It was EMILY the robotic lifeguard—officially known as the Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard—a remote-controlled unmanned surface vehicle that has proven its mettle saving imperiled swimmers during natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

ONR says that EMILY, equipped with high-definition sonar and sophisticated sensors, revealed underwater debris that posed navigational hazards. It also used specialized software to enable disaster responders to map a safe passage through Marsh Harbor. Within two hours, the relief ship was ashore distributing much-needed supplies. Throughout the following week, EMILY mapped more channels in other storm-ravaged areas of the Bahamas.

EMILY’s inventor is Tony Mulligan, CEO and president of Hydronalix, a maritime robotics company. The vehicle is the successful culmination of a collaboration among Mulligan, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. SBIR provides the Navy with innovative advances in technology created by small firms—while STTR transitions products developed by both small businesses and research institutions to the Navy and Marine Corps.

The technology in EMILY took a long road over 18 years—advancing from marine mammal research to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Iraq to lifesaving rescue innovation.