German researchers create an autonomous underwater robot to prevent drownings Shane McGlaun - Mar 9, 2021, 5:57am CST Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (ISOB) in Germany have created an autonomous underwater robot to save people from drowning. In Germany, almost 420 people drowned in 2019, with most drownings occurring in freshwater lakes or swimming pools. One reason so many people drowned in Germany is that there are few trained lifeguards to watch over swimming pools. ISOB researchers want to prevent drownings and have developed an aquatic robot that is the only one of its kind in the world. The robot is designed to work with lifeguards and rescue swimmers in an emergency. ISOB scientists have used underwater robotics expertise to develop the autonomous system and have created a vehicle known as DEDAVE.