It is very common these days for a new invention to be made, and most of the time it leaves people thinking, "why was this not thought of before?" These days, new inventions have been all about making "smart" equipments out of smartphones and home appliances such as television and refridgerators, among many others.

The Australian government, hovever, went to great lengths to apply the same technology on sea buoys that detect the presence of sharks. Called the "Clever Buoys," it's a shark-detection strategy introduced as an initiative back in October 2015 to protect swimmers and surfers against shark attacks on Australian beaches, specifically those within the state of New South Wales (NSW).

Mashable reported that the development of Clever Buoys costs around AUD 16 million overall, but it does seem like a highly-beneficial investment. Clever Buoys make use of smartphones (with the Clever Buoys mobile app, of course), monitoring authorities, listening stations, and the buoys set out at sea to detect shark movements.

Tech Site lauded the simplicity of the system, and how effective it worksto prevent shark attacks. Basically, what happens is that the buoys are implanted with sonar devices that detects large sea creatures, especially sharks.

Now, these things are installed throughout NSW's beaches - when there's a shark near the coast, the buoys will map out the shark's migratory pattern and send information to the authorities.

The authorities can then determine whether or not the shark is  heading close to surfers and swimmers. 

If there's even the slightest hint of danger they can instantly inform the surfers and warn them. Nowadays, since waterproof smartphones and mobile data allows people to be connected even on water, the app is now made more accessible.

It's hoped that this new technology would not just help save the lives of various swimmers and surfers, but also help save the lives of many sharks, which are known as an endangered species. 

Tags: sharks shark buoys smart buoys australia