AI at a swimming bath? German pools are trying out the technology

Artificial Intellience (AI) is usually used in consumer electronics, predicting what you're going to type, helping with translations or making recommendations based on what you liked in the past.

But in a pool?

Lifeguards are testing the technology at swimming pools across Germany, to help keep swimmers safe and prevent accidents, says Necdet Mantar from a working group on public pools in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg.

The state is experimenting with AI due to staff shortages, though he and others say the technology is not competing with people.

"It does not replace a lifeguard," said Ursula Stiefken, manager at the Panorama-Pool Freudenstadt, where AI is in place.

"The system cannot jump into the water and rescue someone," she said, adding that she has not saved on staff with AI.

One way it is used is to ensure that emergencies or potential drowning cases are reported to experts at the poolside more quickly so that they can respond faster, Mantar said.

Alongside the Freudenstadt pool, AI-based surveillance is in use at swimming pools in Karlsruhe, said Mantar, who is a department manager for the Reutlingen pools, some 40 kilometres south of Stuttgart. Other pool operators are still planning to try the technology.

Positive Response to Pilot Project

The Freudenstadt pool started using AI around a year ago, using cameras to monitor pool activity, such as registering the number of people and alerting staff to overcrowding.

The system is also expected to alert staff if someone is immobile in the water, by sending a signal to a smartwatch.

The system now functions relatively reliably, says manager Stiefken. Initially, a warning was triggered when someone lay near the edge of the pool with their arms crossed, but by now it has learned how swimmers typically move.

"Now there are significantly fewer false alarms," she says, though to date, there has not yet been an incident where AI support saved a life.

Staff response has been positive, Stiefken says. The technology offers a certain level of security for personnel, especially when the pool is busy.

Security and data protection concerns

The German Society for Bathing (DGfdB) also made it clear that technical aids cannot replace water supervision, but can be a factor when determining how many staff are needed.

Other aspects include the number of bathers, the type and size of the facility, the number, size and location of the pools and how visible they are especially outdoors, and other features like water attractions.

Drowning detection systems have been around for years. The new aspect of AI-supported technology is its capability to identify specific movement patterns as dangerous before an actual emergency occurs.

But data protection also plays a role in its deployment, ensuring that, for example, the technology does not store images or link them to individuals by using personal data from annual passes or membership cards.

Alongside lifeguards, vigilant eyes at the water’s edge can also include guardians such as parents looking after their children.

In Hamburg, a spokesman said some parents fail to focus on their children when distracted by mobile phones and that lifeguards have to intervene and help children avoid accidents about 10 times a week, after they enter deeper water unnoticed by their parents.

Staff now distributes flyers directly to parents about this and take measures if people fail to comply.

Mantar, from the Baden-Württemberg AI working group, said he has not heard of such cases yet but admits, "this is a very difficult issue."

It is totally appropriate to remind parents of their supervisory duties for minor children and potential dangers, he says, but notes issuing bans or smartphone bans is legally challenging.

"We even offer free wifi at many pools, some people do work at the poolside or read their emails, or catch up with friends, family, and colleagues," he says.

Staff would be completely overwhelmed if it had to police parents on mobile phone use, he adds. Plus, dealing with such parents would lead to countless and lengthy discussion which might also jeopardize pool supervision and endanger other bathers, Mantar says.

One approach, offered by the Freudenstadt pool, is to make a series of short videos about how to behave around water.

The pool's mascot, Flip, informs guests about correct pool etiquette and a recent clip was seen over 6 million times and won 31,000 likes.