Flying Robots To Help Search Teams

The British search and rescue dog team tests drones to see if they could help in finding missing people.

12:28 13 May 2015

The National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) in Kent has carried out a training exercise testing new drones to figure out if the aerial vehicles fitted with camera can help the team find missing people. 

 

James Dunn, the chairman of Kent NSARDA, said that the drone can help make the rescue efforts more efficient. 

 

"It allows us to search these open fields very quickly.

 

"We take the high-resolution video ... we look at that and then we'll be able to make some really good intelligent decisions over how we use our resources to bring this guy home."

 

The rescue exercise in Kent was a success. The volunteers were able to locate the victim after the drone provided crucial information about the victim’s location where the search dog was sent. 

 

James added: "It's just another great step forward for us in how we can take new technology and get some real life-saving results from it.”

 

Meanwhile, Amanda Stowers, the co-developer of the drone with flapping wings, said that the aerial vehicle can fly in cluttered environments. 

 

"If there is a building collapse then no longer do you have a nice hallway that you can fly through, you're going to have pieces of scrap that are just falling everywhere, you aren't going to know where they are ahead of time to plan your path around them."