Novosibirsk Researchers Create Drone Swarm to Find People in Forests
Researchers at Novosibirsk State University have developed a drone swarm control system for finding people lost in forests.
The drones independently survey the area, identify people using a neural network, and can operate without a constant internet connection.
An operator assigns each drone a route and a task through an app. Cameras capture footage every second, and the neural network determines whether people or vehicles are present in the frames. The system can assist search-and-rescue teams, including LizaAlert.
"In our development, we largely started from the task of finding people, because we were shocked by the statistics: several thousand people simply disappear without a trace in Russia every year. So, of course, organizations like LizaAlert need help, and technical help above all," said Andrey Vlasenko, scientific lead of the development and associate professor at the Faculty of Information Technologies at NSU.
Beyond finding people, the development can be used to monitor forest fires, roads, power lines, and buildings. The drones are also equipped with devices for delivering small cargo.
