Drones for rescue: New technologies to save lives
The Drone Revolution in Air Rescue
Drones have revolutionized emergency response by their ability to reach remote or hazardous areas that are challenging for humans. In Italy, their use in rescue missions has become increasingly common, offering invaluable contributions in terms of speed of response and precision in operations. The Fire Brigade’s USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams are leveraging aerial drone support equipped with thermal cameras even during nighttime operations, while continuing the search for the last remaining missing person.
Drones in Search and Rescue
Search and rescue teams use drones to efficiently build situational awareness, plan rescue strategies, and even relay messages to people once found, all while keeping personnel at a safe distance. Drones can provide teams with vast amounts of information at a quicker pace, ultimately making a potential difference between life and death. Overall, teams with drones have been able to locate victims nearly three minutes faster on average compared to their counterparts, which is a significant margin.
The Future of Drone-Assisted Rescue
The SEUAM project, developed by the Italian Emergency Medical Service Society (SIS 118), involves deploying high-speed remotely piloted drones operated by specialized responders to rapidly address critical medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests, severe bleeding, and acute poisonings. This project aims to reduce response times compared to current methods like ambulances, ensuring crucial time gains for rescue operations.
Technology for Rescue
Drones are equipped with Flir thermal cameras, enabling access to state-of-the-art military technologies to survey areas where the human eye cannot reach. Through thermal inspections and developed thermal tracking and search software, survivors and missing animals can be easily identified. Horus Dynamics’ R&D division also focuses on developing tailored devices to meet specific needs, ensuring crucial response speed and professionalism essential for effective service in such sensitive fields.
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