Watch: A Lucknow man apparently rescued a puppy from a drain with a drone. Not everyone believes him
Sceptics, however, are questioning the authenticity of the video and story.
Technology can be fascinating, but when you combine puppies with artificial intelligence, it’s a match made in social media heaven. So when the internet heard of Milind Raj’s puppy rescue with a drone, of course everyone went gaga.
According to NDTV, the 27-year-old was out for a morning walk in Lucknow sometime last month, when he discovered a whimpering, crying puppy trapped inside a 20-feet drain in the middle of the road. According to him, the puppy had been trapped for about two days. “It was not possible for a human to rescue the puppy without endangering their own life,” Raj told NDTV.
So Raj, who builds robots for a living, came up with a unique, inventive plan: “I decided to put technology to the task,” he told NDTV. Taking calculated risks, he decided to attach an AI-controlled robotic arm to a giant drone to rescue the helpless puppy – a process that took him about six hours. The robotic arm was equipped with a smart heartbeat sensor which supposedly ensured that the arm didn’t suffocate or crush the little puppy.
Raj was soon on his way to rescue the puppy once he’d completed his contraption and the process was captured in the video above, apparently shot by a curious bystander.
All in all, it was a happy ending for the puppy, who was apparently adopted by Raj and is now called “Lifted”. However, things aren’t looking up for Raj. Once the video and the news of Raj’s puppy-rescuing drone went viral – and several people did praise him – sceptics on the internet started to question the authenticity of the puppy rescue and the motives of the man behind it.
Some questioned how the puppy was so clean, in spite of being trapped in a filthy drain; some wanted to know how the puppy had a harness conveniently tied around him, while others wondered why the video only started when the puppy was already mid-air.
Even a bucket and a rope would have sufficed. But I guess you don't get to meet the Chief Minister with a bucket and rope.
— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) May 4, 2018
Even in the video they don't show the puppy actually in the drain. The video begins with it hovering above.
— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) May 4, 2018
I'm only ranting because so many otherwise smart people are sharing it.
I request media groups to call out this obviously fake story.
Notice the droneboy involuntarily gesture towards someone inside the drain briefly before the camera cuts away.
— St_Hill (@St_Hill) May 4, 2018
My guess: They tied the dog to the drone standing on the road, one guy got down into the drain holding the dog and drone, and let it go once the camera started.
Hi @pri_pant, did you ask why is there no footage of the moment the drone actually picks up the dog? Or how the dog managed to get his head and body into the harness? https://t.co/Foyis0wfvB
— Megha Mohan (@meghamohan) May 4, 2018
Impressive how clean the puppy came out of the drain. My dog years ago used to fall often into drains and soak pits (don’t ask) and he would always call me out black and smelly. And how was the harness slid over the dog’s belly and tightened? Very impressive feat.
— Subramanian Sharma (@KannanSharma) May 4, 2018
Good for him saving the pup and all but I feel like a ladder would have been faster, cheaper, and easier than building an AI arm to lift the dog out.
— William Trusher (@WillTrusher) May 4, 2018