Re:Fleets of drones could aid searches for lost hikers
by toss1 on Friday November 02, 2018 @01:56PM
(#18365169)
Several have commented on the likelihood that this will not be so much "Search & Rescue" as "Search & Destroy".
It seems that the "no GPS required" spec and the under-the-canopy flying and mapping they showed makes this considerably more likely.
Small drones on rescue missions need to find the lost person, identify their location and transmit it back. The search/find part would be best done above the canopy with appropriate sensors, covering as much ground as quickly as possible. Flying under the canopy, and mapping it the whole way would dramatically slow this process -- probably quicker to have a human horde search on foot.
Once found, the GPS coordinates would be the most essential data point to transmit back to the rescuers. The relative positions of all the local trees would be kind of irrelevant, but that could be quite useful in targeting various kinds of attack.
IOW, it seems the other Search & Destroy comments have got it right.
It seems that the "no GPS required" spec and the under-the-canopy flying and mapping they showed makes this considerably more likely.
Small drones on rescue missions need to find the lost person, identify their location and transmit it back. The search/find part would be best done above the canopy with appropriate sensors, covering as much ground as quickly as possible. Flying under the canopy, and mapping it the whole way would dramatically slow this process -- probably quicker to have a human horde search on foot.
Once found, the GPS coordinates would be the most essential data point to transmit back to the rescuers. The relative positions of all the local trees would be kind of irrelevant, but that could be quite useful in targeting various kinds of attack.
IOW, it seems the other Search & Destroy comments have got it right.