When a 14-year-old boy was in danger of drowning off the Spanish shores of Valencia last month, help came in an unusual form: a drone.

Within seconds of spotting trouble, lifeguards used walkie-talkies to notify trained drone pilots to fly one over to the child. The drone battled crosswinds and hovered a few feet over the boy, dropping an auto-inflating life vest. Shortly after the child put the vest on, a lifeguard arrived on a personal watercraft to bring him back to shore.

The rescue mission relied on technology from General Drones, a Spanish company that offers a preview into summers of the future: one where sun-kissed lifeguards can use drones to help respond to potential drownings quicker.