5G: Rescue of people with drones

This project aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of people rescue operations through the application of new technologies. It intends to implement a more efficient and adjusted solution than the current one thanks to the use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), better known as drones, and the extensive benefits of 5G technology.

There are alarming numbers of disorientation of older people in rural or semi-rural areas. Shortening search times is essential since, if they are long, the risk of hypothermia, dehydration or even death also increases.

Nowadays, the application of UAVs for emergency, rescue and terrain reconnaissance situations has been proven to be highly beneficial. UAV devices can help speed up and facilitate the location and access to potential victims, something that is critical for rescue operations carried out by the Red Cross.

Many UAVs currently already provide streaming video transmission, but some of them can also be equipped with other camera systems (thermal, night vision...) very interesting for search and rescue work. The handicap that existed until now is that the existing technology did not allow this type of system to be shipped for streaming.

Thanks to 5G technologies, drones will now be able to broadcast video in real time and high definition, improve communication with the command and control center and between the different raid teams, share the data obtained from the search and have it managed in a much more more effective, integrated and coordinated; and expand the search and recognition features thanks to the systems on board the UAVs. These on-board systems will also be able to identify heat sources, separating the one that corresponds to a human being from the one that does not, and generate a map with the areas that have already been swept, improving search efficiency.

The developed solution has been tested in a simulation that was carried out at the ATLAS Experimental Flight Center, in Villacarrillo (Jaén), during 2020.

The "5G: Rescue of people with drones" project is carried out within the framework of the 5G technology pilot project in Andalusia, promoted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, through Red.es and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Further information: https://www2.cruzroja.es/-/vodafone-cruz-roja-y-altran-utilizan-la-red-5g-con-veh-c3-adculos-a-c3-a9reos-no-tripulados-para-el-rescate-de-personas

Currently the project has finished

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