Become a Virtual Mountain Rescuer with Open Innovation
Here’s a neat crowdsourcing initiative that could save lives. The aeroSee project lets anyone in the world help search and rescue missions by analyzing live feeds coming from drone-mounted cameras.
You can become a virtual mountain rescuer from your armchair.
The project is being developed by a team at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. In trials of the technology an unmanned aerial robot was fitted with a camera that fed back images to emergency responders.
The drone flew over parts of the Lake District, a popular spot with hikers and where hundreds of people are injured and go missing each year.
How Does it Work?
The images are also seen by web users who tag photos if they spot a missing person. These are then relayed to emergency response teams who then go to the stranded person’s location.
Saving Lives
Finding missing people can be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, particularly in poor weather conditions. AeroSee and the crowd have the potential to reduce the amount of time a person has to wait to be rescued. This could increase the chance of more lives being saved.
With the first set of trials over, the team at the University of Central Lancashire is looking for volunteers to help with subsequent trials.
They involve logging onto the aeroSee website and tagging photos if you spot a missing person. There is a practice page to familiarize yourself with the work.
For more information and to register to become a virtual rescuer, click here.
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