It may not look nearly as good as Pamela Anderson in a bikini on Baywatch , but a new type of drone could save your life if you get into trouble in the water . Ryptide is a lifeguard drone that can carry an inflatable life ring to a swimmer in under a minute , according to the developers . The system uses a specially adapted carrying device that can rush a life ring out over the water and drop it close to a swimmer in distress . Scroll down for video . The Ryptide drone ( above ) delivers a life ring that automatically inflates in the water to help swimmers in trouble . The device is being built by students at a school in Stamford , Connecticut . The rings are designed to automatically inflate as soon as they hit the water , helping swimmers to stay afloat until rescuers arrive . The engineers behind the project , who are based in Stamford , Connecticut , say the drone would be particularly useful for helping swimmers who stray into rip tide currents . Drones could prove invaluable in search and rescue operations as well as disaster scenarios where it is dangerous for relief workers to enter buildings . But currently quadcopters risk injuring humans with their blades and break easily upon light collisions because of their delicate , exposed parts . Now engineers have created the ‘ world ’ s first collision-proof drone ’ that has a spherical 'rollcage ' , meaning it can bounce around buildings like a ball . The Gimball drone uses obstacles to find its way around buildings , instead of avoiding them , so it could roll along a row of windows before locating an opening . Scientists from Switzerland ’ s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have won $ 1 million in a drone competition sponsored by the United Arab Emirates . ‘ Gimball can safely fly indoors and in complex environments , is easy to fly , and can be operated close to humans , ’ they claim on their website . Lifeguards rescue more than 10,000 swimmers from rip tide currents - strong currents of water that can drag swimmers out to sea . However they often carry a great deal of danger for the lifeguards themselves and account for 80 per cent of rescues they perform . Bill Piedra , a teacher at King Low Heywood Thomas school in Stamford and founder of Flying Robots LLC , began developing the Ryptide system with students in 2014 . He said : 'Ryptide is a life saving drone accessory that can carry an automatically inflating life ring to a swimmer in distress in less than 30 seconds . 'The system can be attached to any drone capable of carrying a GoPro camera and brushless gimbal . ' Mr Piedra and his team already have a working prototype of their system and are now running a crowdfunding campaign in an attempt to build commercial products . They say the final model of Ryptide will be able to carry up to four inflatable rings that can be dropped one at a time at the press of a button . It would allow life-guards to get help out to swimmers in trouble almost immediately while waiting for rescue boats or other vehicles to arrive . While it may not carry the glamour of a beachwear clad lifeguard running across the sand like in the popular TV series , it could mean response times are quicker . The system ( shown in action above ) can be attached to any drone capable of carrying a GoPro camera and brushless gimba . The drone is able to fly over a swimmer in distress and drop an inflatable life ring to help keep them afloat . Pamela Anderson ( right ) in Baywatch only had a boyancy aid and the odd speed boat to help rescue swimmers . Nick Smith , one of the students involved in the project , said : 'Currently the only solution to this problem is another human being risking their life to venture into the rip tide to save the swimmer in crisis . 'We plan to use drone technology to add to the arsenal of the lifeguard . ' A ring can be attached to the drone assembly using vinyl loops which then release when hovering over the swimmer in distress . It is the latest in a number of drones being developed to help save people 's lives in emergency situations . Students at Delft University of Technology in Holland have developed an Ambulance Drone to deliver a defibrillator to the scene of a heart attack . Mr Piedra and the Ryptide team have already tested their system in swimming pools , on the beach , lakes and even in a frozen river . They insist , however , they are not looking to replace lifeguards . They said : 'We 're not proposing that this product could ever replace a trained lifeguard or take the place of other safety equipment . 'We 're just hoping that our simple device can augment the water safety tools that are in use today . ' They said as drones become more popular , the Ryptide system could also be installed along beaches so that drone users can quickly attach them to their machines in the event of an emergency .
Ryptide converts existing drones into a flying life-guard to help swimmers . The system can carry and drop four inflatable rings to swimmers in trouble . The device is being built by students at a school in Connecticut , Stamford . Life rings inflate automatically on contact with water after being dropped . The developers say it could particularly help swimmers caught in rip tides .