UAVs (or drones) are starting to be used for search & rescue operations, such as in the Philippines following
Typhoon Yolanda a few months ago. They are also used to find missing
people in the US, which may explain why members of the North Texas Drone
User Group (NTDUG) are organizing the (first ever?) Search & Rescue challenge
in a few days. The purpose of this challenge is to 1) encourage members
to build better drones and 2) simulate a real world positive
application of civilian drones.
Nine teams have signed up to compete in
Saturday’s challenge, which will be held in a wheat field near
Renaissance Fair in Waxahachie, Texas (satellite image below). The
organizers have already sent these teams a simulated missing person’s
report. This will include a mock photo, age, height, hair color,
ethnicity, clothing and where/when this simulated lost person was last
seen. Each drone must have a return to home function and failsafe as
well as live video streaming.
