New technology patrols bottom of Smith Mountain Lake

A local rescue team has a new search tool that could potentially save lives.

By: WSLS-TV Staff Reports | WSLS
Published: April 28, 2008

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A local rescue team has a new search tool that could potentially save lives.
The Smith Mountain Lake Marine Fire/Rescue now has a small robotic submarine, which can give a crystal clear picture of what's below the water.
It's called the Video Ray, and it looks like a small submarine.
Last week, rescuers used the Video Ray to help locate the body of 71-year-old Jim Hankla.
Not only does it cut down on the time it takes divers to find stuff in the water, it also makes diving safer.
"It does make it safer for us to find what we're looking for and then send the divers down to it," diver David Scoggins said.
In the future, the rescue team hopes the video will also help them rescue people who are drowning.
The submarine was donated to the group by a man who lost two friends when the boat they were on capsized last April.
One of the men's bodies wasn't found until nearly four months later.
The Video Ray costs about $40 thousand, and the SML Fire/Rescue Team has two.