![AI-powered BVLOS long range search and rescue drones](https://dronelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SLSNSW_3-scaled-e1691254164549-300x225.jpeg)
by DRONELIFE Staff Author Ian M. Crosby
Attributable to the help of drone training specialist Aviassist, Surf Life Saving NSW’s Australian UAV Service could soon begin deploying long range drones to locate missing bushwalkers or people swept into rough seas. The technology was tested each night and day at Evans Head on the NSW far north coast, finding a pair of mock hikers who were “lost” in nearby scrubland.
The test flights saw 4 long range drones take turns trying to find the missing hikers alongside 16 other scenarios, with the NSW government committing $1 million toward the 18 month-long Long Range UAV Project, which incorporates a week-long trial called the Long Range UAV Project Trial Week. SLSNSW is currently assessing whether the technology could possibly be rolled out permanently, due to the assistance of Aviassist with regulatory approvals.
“This really is a gamechanger for surf life saving. Every second counts in these situations so if a drone may be launched with thermal cameras, a missing person, or group of individuals, may be found quickly and that may be the difference between life and death,” said Aviassist Managing Director Ross Anderson. “The technology is advancing so fast in the mean time and that enables for more area to be covered in less time, so it’s there to be harnessed. Surf Life Saving NSW’s UAV Pilots are picking it up quite fast – there’s an enthusiasm there to upskill and ultimately save lives. Surf Life Saving NSW already has a fleet of greater than 200 drones, making it the largest of any surf life saving organisation within the southern hemisphere. Drones are greater than tools, they’re teammates.”
“We’re really pleased with how the week went – opportunities to get so many likeminded people together and test some truly outstanding drones under controlled conditions don’t come around fairly often,” said Australian Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Service (AUAVS), SLSNSW’s drone department, Manager and Chief Distant Pilot, Paul Hardy. “This project allowed us to securely trial various kinds of drones which can be able to flying further and for longer, by operating beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). The potential of this is huge as it will probably remove drone operators from dangerous situations and permit us to cut back response time to incidents and supply greater situational awareness in so many other scenarios.”
Recently, Aviassist oversaw the primary AI enabled drone flight in Australia from a ‘smart’ docking station around Sydney Harbour, wherein the drone was in a position to navigate around pylons and buildings and detect the Harbour Bridge within the background. The Dock is claimed to have the ability to fly a drone in a five kilometer range and to inside 11 centimeters of a foreign object. Though not a requirement, a person can monitor the drone’s stream from anywhere on this planet.
“It was only a matter of time,” said Anderson. “The drone was in a position to work out there have been certain structures in the world and fly around them. It’s not autopilot, it’s AI. It was the drone summing up its surroundings and saying to itself, ‘hey, I can fly here, I can’t fly there’.”
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