TAMPA, Fla. — When a child drowns, it doesn't look or sound like it does in the movies. Tampa Bay-area pediatrician Philip Matar says it happens quickly and quietly.
"We had a young girl who was brought in, three years old," Matar recalled, "and she was found in the pool at home. I was actually the last person to do chest compressions on her before time-of-death was called."
The experience stuck with him and led him to team up with another Florida doctor and an engineer to create the "Pool Knight."
It's in the prototype stages and could prevent drowning tragedies.
"Our goal is to detect when there is a chance that someone could be potentially drowning and prevent them from even getting to the water," Matar said.
Cameras and thermal sensors only send alerts when life depends on it. Engineer David May calls cutting out false alarms crucial to the device's success.
With patents secured, the next step is taking the Knight to the mainstream market.
