A team of researchers at DTU is developing a prototype for a fully automated drone capable of being dispatched automatically from a moving ship once a man overboard event is confirmed.
According to its developers, the drone features three types of cameras for seeing at night and spotting body heat so that it can identify a person in the water. Once completed, the drone will also carry an inflatable life jacket that sends a GPS signal.
Source: Bax Lindhardt
"This has a twofold purpose: One is to extend the person's life in the water — the other is to guide a lifeboat to them easily," the team noted.
Currently, rescue operations use a system wherein rescue boats search the water in triangular patterns along the most likely route the person would have drifted. Yet, due to the boat's low vantage point, it can be difficult to spot a person in the distance.
As such, the new drone — which weighs roughly 55 lbs, is about 8 ft in diameter and can carry 44 lb payloads — combines several computer-based search methods and algorithms that promise to determine the likely trajectories of the person in the water. Specifically, these search methods and algorithms, account for the uncertainties of the maritime environment and factor in the time that has elapsed since the person fell.
"Our methodology incorporates different search methods and the vessel's real-time data related to wind and currents to accurately predict a person's location while ensuring the drone doesn't waste time searching the same area twice," the team explained.
This resulted in the creation of a position estimator with a significantly higher success rate, which, together with the drone’s design, promises to increase the chances of locating people when measured against conventional rescues. During man overboard simulations using the technology, the drone managed to locate more than 80% of people in distress.
