Indian Naval Academy develops AI-enabled 2-drone sea rescue system
Technology
The Indian Naval Academy has developed a two-drone rescue system to make saving lives at sea quicker and smarter.
Here's how it works: a quadcopter with 2K optical and thermal cameras uses AI to flag people in the water, then a hexacopter swoops in to drop a lifebuoy right where it's needed.
Quadcopter detects people, hexacopter delivers lifebuoy
Both drones can cover up to 10km. The quadcopter streams live video and spots people using optical and thermal cameras, flying for up to 45 minutes with a small payload.
Once someone's found, the hexacopter (able to carry heavier gear) flies out for about 25 minutes to deliver the lifebuoy.
Even with all this tech, humans still control when the rescue gear gets released, keeping safety first.