Written By Isaac Lee
Edited By Kapil Ramasubramanian
In our world today, technology is evolving at an astonishing rate. Artificial intelligence is being implemented everywhere, with smaller yet more efficient computers and drones. Drones have been seen in many fields of work such as film, content creation, healthcare, agriculture, and many more. Specifically, this blog will go in-depth on the search and rescue field of work.
Types of Search and Rescue
There are many kinds of search and rescue. For instance, there is search and rescue in the city, which proves to be difficult as there are countless streets and buildings to navigate. On the other end of the spectrum, there are the more rural, natural search and rescues which typically have unfamiliar land to cover. Typically, the most dangerous type of search and rescue is the warzone. Navigating through gunfire, hiding from the enemy, and staying undercover are some of the hardships of this type of search and rescue.
Drone scanning the City
Benefits of Drones in Search and Rescue
Drones are simply more efficient in finding people or pets around any given area. And in the dire search and rescue moments, efficiency is key to saving more lives. Instead of wandering around based on small clues, drones can scan all the land and search for heat signals, which will be discussed more in-depth later. Helicopters and planes may seem more efficient, but they take more resources and time to set off when compared to lightweight drones.
Another benefit is the cost efficiency. Drones are cheaper than utilizing more inefficient equipment such as helicopters and planes. Along with being more cost-efficient, drones require fewer people as only one person needs to man the flying device instead of using a helicopter or plane which requires many people.
In terms of safety, it exceeds expectations because the searchers do not have to injure themselves while exploring unknown, treacherous lands. Instead, one person can simply fly the drone, which can simultaneously navigate the fastest path. As drones evolve, AI is slowly being implemented to create an even more efficient experience.
Specific benefit: Thermal Tracking
Through all weather conditions and terrain, heat sensors can spot living things due to their heat signal. Drones with thermal cameras use this feature to quickly spot any out-of-place heat signals.
For instance, humans are typically a warmer color than everything around them. This works by using infrared camera sensors to make temperatures colorized. Two popular thermal camera types on drones are white hot and Black hot. These types have the surroundings gray and the heat signals appear white or black.
Thermal Camera Spotting a Cow
Search and Rescue Simulation: Skydio Drone
A train derailed and people inside were still stuck. The first responders arrive within minutes and the drones deploy quickly and float through the train carts. As it drives through, it has an omniscient view which views all angles to look for anyone injured faster. As the drone locates people, people grab the injured out of the train. As this all occurs, another drone flies around the whole site and scans everything. Eventually, this leads to a replica of the site that the drone generated.
Conclusion
In this ultra-efficient world, search and rescue are no different. Search and rescue are always a problem as people or pets go missing quite often. Instead of using the old method of searching and looking by hand, as seen in the blog above, drones can efficiently find and locate almost anything faster than older methods.
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