Australia launches electronic device to detect sharks

Floating electrical devices are set to replace shark nets in an effort to protect Australian beachgoers, local media reported Sunday.

Called the "Clever Buoy", the floats use sonar technology to search for two meter objects approaching the beach. If confirmed as a shark, the device sends an alert via satellite to lifeguards.

The devices are expected to be in use by the middle of next year after Shark Mitigation Services (SMS) tested the technology at the Sydney Aquarium and at Abrolhos Islands off the Western Australian coast.

"It's like face-recognition software," Hamish Jolly, a director of the company, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"We can teach the software to look for the unique characteristics that we see in large sharks swimming."

If the recent experience is any indication, governments could do with more accurate methods to identify and respond to shark threats.