Penguin B Detects Missing People
Centum carried out flight tests of its new product LifeSeeker using Penguin B UAV platform. LifeSeeker is an innovative aerial on-board system that can detect mobile telephones belonging to missing people and report their position to search units.
The system was tested in Villanueva de Gállego Airfield (Zaragoza, Spain), flying at low altitude and line-of-sight, and validated the correct communication and control of the onboard platform. In addition, radio frequency signals deployed on ground as radio-beacons were detected and geo-located.
LifeSeeker has resulted in the development of a new emergency telecommunications system capable of searching and locating, quickly and autonomously, missing people in high mountain or devastated areas, as well as in regions for which access is difficult.
This system takes advantage of the enormous social impact that mobile communication technologies have had in recent years in order to turn a mobile telephone into an emergency beacon capable of leading rescue teams to the exact position of the same.
By operating independently from telecommunication networks, apart from being able to locate the terminal of the missing person, LifeSeeker offers voice and short message services even in areas where there is no mobile coverage. Thus, it provides rescue teams with a direct communication channel with the victim and with the possibility of having information regarding his or her state, as well as any other important information that may facilitate rescue operations.
Furthermore, LifeSeeker can operate autonomously, being integrated in unmanned air platforms (Unmanned Air System, UAS). This type of equipment, which does not require a pilot, can operate at night, with reduced visibility, or under weather conditions that would make it impossible to carry out any other type of air mission, thus limiting the risks for the safety of the pilots which are associated with this kind of operations.
All this makes LifeSeeker an effective tool that speeds up rescue operations, reducing tracking times and taking advantage of those hours when conventional search missions are not possible, reducing also operation costs, and thus maximizing the chances of success in missions in which every second counts.
– See more at: http://centum.es/en/uncategorized/7001#sthash.36xY4cIx.dpuf
