Drone delivers rescue buoy to drowning man - GIF

[Jon]

Drone delivers rescue buoy to drowning man. Obviously a demo video, although there is a related story.




Previously:

Drone puts out a building fire - GIF
Drone stringing electrical wires - GIF
Drone that flies and swims - GIF
Flamethrower drone destroys wasp nest - GIF
Flamethrowing drone for clearing electric wires - GIF

[mklotz]

All I see is a gray rectangle with an unhappy face and this inscription below it...

No video with supported format and MIME type found.

[Jon]

All fixed, my error, thanks.

[jimfols]

A small boat sailor's dream come true.

[jdurand]

Might want to drop it closer to the drowning person.

A thought, have a long high visibility streamer dangle from the drone. Fly over the person so this is within reach. When they grab it, the flotation device is released and is attached to the streamer. That way the person can haul it over to where they are.

[Frank S]

Might want to drop it closer to the drowning person.

A thought, have a long high visibility streamer dangle from the drone. Fly over the person so this is within reach. When they grab it, the flotation device is released and is attached to the streamer. That way the person can haul it over to where they are.

the streamer idea is the best I have heard so far. When a distressed person in the water is on the verge of drowning they are not going to be able to swim towards a flotation device in the first place, the second place dropping a device even within a couple of feet of the person if it happens to be behind them before they realize where the device is it may be pushed away by wave action or even the victim without their realizing it.
But a bright orange or red colored streamer dangled in the water from the drone could be positioned right in their hand almost and like you said a tug would release the device right on top of them.