One cool thing about drones is that it simplifies tasks that would usually require a ton of resources and manpower. Take Search and Rescue for instance. Drones and thermal cameras can help solve what hundreds of people usually require.
Finding the Missing
Before the age of drones, finding someone missing – especially in the wilderness – would require a lot of people to help with the search. And that may not even be enough to find the missing in time. Some even have to resort to bringing dogs to help speed up the search. Now, with drones, one can simply control it to fly over an area for a better visual.
A missing child in Minnesota was found at a cornfield a mile away from his house by the use of a drone. The six-year-old, along with his dog, went missing during the afternoon from their farmland home in Palmer Township.
A Thermal Strategy
The reported missing case started at around 4 PM – a dangerous time frame as it only leaves rescuers a few hours before nightfall. The news spread quickly and the rescue party went up to upwards of 600 people, all coming from nearby areas. The search lasted 10 hours – well into the night – in order to find clues for the missing child.
It was not until a drone armed with a thermal camera did this case find its happy ending. Its owner was a local photographer and luckily, he had the tools needed for the job. The owner flew the drone out into the fields, and even though it was immensely dark, its cameras spotted the boy sleeping next to his dog. Using thermal imaging, the heat signature of the dog lit up like a bright light among the cold terrain. This instantly pinpointed the location, giving rescuers a great chance at a rescue.
The boy was found unharmed, and after a checkup at a nearby hospital was returned home safely.
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